Kantai Collection: Descendants of the Dragon
by Da Ma-Niac
Summary: Yat Sen, the first Chinese shipgirl, has returned to China to assist in fighting the Abyssals and to build a shipgirl fleet. The Japanese sent the group at Shikotan Island to help. How will they deal with the past grudges between the two nations and the huge difference in culture? And how can the Chinese build a powerful shipgirl force out of a few obsolete warships?
1. Return to Shanghai

**Hey, folks, here is the sequel to my previous story. This one is called the Descendants of the Dragon while the previous one has been renamed Eastern Uprising. The reason is because the previous story was about Asian countries while this one will be focused on the Chinese. The story running parallel with Kirov in Russia will be named Kantai Collection: Red Fleet Resurrected. Go and read Eastern Uprising first if you haven't yet.  
**

* * *

 **Return to Shanghai**

One day after the Russians, Japanese and Chinese were transported from Shikotan Island, the final negotiations are completed. There was a change in plans. When the residents of Shanghai heard that Yuubari, Sendai and the other ships which once shelled Shanghai were being sent, the whole city rioted. Plans were hastily changed. Admiral Jun Kadawa and the shipgirls Akagi, Sendai, Naka and Fubuki would be sent to Tianjin and have Yoshimura's fleet come down to Shanghai instead. Kadawa's shipgirls complained but couldn't deny that it was understandable.

Kirov was supposed to stay at Shanghai for a while, but the Russian government backed out when they discovered that training with the Chinese wasn't necessary. The fairies born alongside of Kirov can handle most of the operations. Despite this, China and Russia are still on good terms with each other.

Night fell upon the Haneda Airport, but the activity did not cease. Kawakami and several other political leaders watched from the Sky Lounge Annex as a Chinese Xian Y-20 transport taxied into the parking bay. Another one touches down on a runway. Nagato and Musashi stand in front of a terminal, watching the Chinese military transport jets land.

"I think they are rip-offs of the American C-17s," Nagato said, "the large body, that t-tail and high mounted wing. Do the Chinese innovate?"

"Well," Musashi shrugged, "given the same performance, requirement, capacity and role, there are only so many ways you can build something."

The transport in the parking bay lowered the massive ramp at the back. A large ten-wheeled truck drives out, carrying several strange implements. Long steel bars connected to each other with metal arcs. The barrels of the railgun. The trucks drive away, heading to an unknown destination.

"Those things can kill a Southern Demon in three hits?" Nagato said, "Then why aren't conventional ships armed with those kicking Abyssal butt?"

"They consume a lot of energy," Musashi said, "which means a slow rate of fire. The ones in the Chinese forts have several nuclear reactors powering them. Otherwise there is no way they can fire six shots per minute."

Musashi paused for a bit, "I am quite excited. I heard Kawakami planning to install the guns at the sides of Uraga Channel, on Miura and Mt Daisen. This means that we can reduce the number of shipgirls stationed in Tokyo and Yokosuka. More ships available for expeditions, sorties and even forward operating bases. We can take the war to the Abyssals."

"Well," Nagato nodded, "cruising in the open oceans instead of sitting in a bay all day does sound good."

* * *

Meanwhile in Shanghai, another Y-20 touches down on an airstrip on Chongming Island. After being towed next to a flight of unmanned air vehicles, the aircraft powered down its four engines and slowly lowered the ramp at the back. Before it was even halfway down, a small figure jumps from the top of the ramp, forward flips and lands on its feet. Platinum blonde hair, striped knee socks, bunny hears headband, sailor shirt and inappropriately short skirt. She is the destroyer Shimakaze.

When the ramp lowered a little more, three blocky, vaguely humanoid turrets jumped out. Shimakaze's followers, Rensouhou-chan. Several Chinese soldiers, clad in full body armor and wielding various nasty looking weapons, look in her direction before returning to whatever they were doing before. Shimakaze looked around in awe. Armored fighting vehicles of all sorts drove around the base while helicopters flew overhead.

Finally the ramp lowered, revealing eight individuals. A young man in blue uniform of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. He had white hair and skin which bordered on translucence. Red eyes peered out from glasses with fractured lens. Pilot Officer Sima Xiangdong.

Next to him, a young woman with brown hair and red eyes sat. She wore a revealing red and blue dress and had a ribbon she held with the insides of her elbows that also passed behind her back. Also a metallic gauntlet over her right hand. Light cruiser shipgirl Yat Sen.

A much older man, in his forties, perhaps, sat opposite him in the cargo hold. He had the white uniform of the Japanese Shipgirl Force, which is basically the old Imperial Japanese Navy uniform, except with the crest of the shipgirl force printed on his right chest pocket. The man himself had shoulder length hair which exhibited signs of greying. The same could be said for his stubble. Admiral Keiichi Yoshimura.

To his right, a young woman covered in purple. It is the colour of her boots, knee high socks, short skirt, jumper, tie, scabbard and eyepatch. Even her hair is purple. Only her right eye, a shade of gold, and her shirt, white, are of different colours. Light cruiser shipgirl Tenryuu.

To the right of Tenryuu, four young girls, preteen or early teen in years. All had the same outfit of white sailor shirt, red tie and navy coloured short skirt. The difference is in the hair and eye colour. Closest to Tenryuu is Akatsuki, with purple hair and eyes. Next is Hibiki, with hair of silver. Inazuma and Ikazuchi looked very similar, having very similar hair colour and facial features. The difference is that Inazuma looked more timid while Ikazuchi looked more adventurous. Akatsuki and Ikazuchi are visibly excited. Inazuma looked nervous while Hibiki really didn't give a shit.

To the left of Yoshimura sat another woman who didn't give a shit. She wore a white shirt, blue dress and knee socks which ended in ridiculously thick slippers. She also had a black muneate and gloves which exposed two fingers. A traditional archer. Standard carrier shipgirl Kaga.

The group of eight walked out when the ramp rested firmly on the ground.

"What took you so long?" pouted Shimakaze as she crossed her arms.

"Waiting for the ramp to lower," Tenryuu said, "which is the standard procedure."

"What is with the rush hour traffic?" asked Yoshimura as he took in the sight of the activity.

"We are repairing the Citadel," Sima replied, "and boosting defences. We are bringing in tanks, artillery and helicopter gunships from the Army and fighters, bombers and drones from the Air Force. "

Sima looked at Yoshimura, "Because how often do we encounter Abyssal fleets of a hundred vessels?"

"We have had a fleet of fifty ships assault the Bay of Tokyo, intent on taking out our capital," Yoshimura replied, "but the Yokosuka fleet and Tokyo fleet took them out with support from conventional forces. Heavy losses were sustained, however. A hundred vessels, though? Nope. Never had a fleet that big. If your Citadel survived that, then the Abyssals should avoid this area from now on."

"Yangtze River and Qiantang River are strategic areas that must not fall," Sima said, "failure to defend them will cripple the Chinese civilization."

"You're here," a voice said in Chinese, "Pilot Officer."

Turning to face the voice, Sima sees three men in black suits approach. All of them appeared to be in their early sixties or late fifties. Soldiers with large rifles and full body armor trailed behind him. And not the ordinary combat armor. Their armor are powered exoskeletons, which make them faster, stronger and more expensive. The Presidential Guard. The men in suits are Paramount Leader Zhou Yi, the National Defence Minister Ouyang Kemeng and the Mobilization Committee's chairman, Yang Tian. Sima prepared to salute.

"No need," the Paramount Leader said, "you have been through much."

He then looked back at Yat Sen, "That is the shipgirl, right?"

"Yes," Sima said, "that is Yat Sen."

Yat Sen smiled and said hello. Zhou and Ouyang smiled back before initiating a conversation, but Yang scowled and muttered, "Her looks are the only good thing about her. And what good will looks do in a battle?"

Yang's attention then moved to the Japanese, who continued to look at the tanks roll through the base. What a nation of disgusting perverts. Making their ships in the form of little girls. The blonde offended him the most. The straps of her underwear can be clearly seen. Tian has heard from Chinese weeaboos about the marriage system where an Admiral can marry any ship in his fleet. Legalized pedophilia, much? And the proud Chinese defense force is relying on their help? Worst of all, the Chinese sent seven railguns for a bunch of underage girls? Has the government gone mad?

"You look angry," Sima said, "Mr. Chairman."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"Exactly what I said," Sima said, an edge in his voice, "and I want to know why."

"Mind your own business," Yang hissed, " _Pilot Officer_. You brought back that weapon who will have no use besides being propaganda material and fap material for lonely weeaboos."

Sima backed down, if only slightly "Yat Sen has fought Abyssals and won. And her appearance means we now have the capability to build stronger and faster ships."

"Chinese ships were second class foreign imports before the 21st century," Yang retorted, "I put greater faith in our railguns and other weapons. Surely you know that we have lasers and particle canons powerful enough to melt satellites which are combat ready? Or that very soon we can mount them on ships?"

"How soon?" asked Sima, "Because for all I know, the Abyssals might attack the Citadel again. Maybe with two hundred vessels this time. Will we survive long enough to see our conventional navy resorted to its former glory?"

"And how do you think those girls will fare?" asked Yang, pointing to the shipgirls, "Because they won't survive against a fleet of a hundred."

"Until I give them modern weapons," Sima said bluntly.

Yang's shoulders shook before he laughed, "Shipgirls and modern weapons don't go together! The Americans tried to miniaturize their weapons and give them to shipgirls. But almost a decade has passed and they still haven't succeeded. Heck, no one has succeeded."

"Because _I_ , the mad scientist of Shenyang University of Technology,"Sima smirked, "haven't tried yet."

"What?" exclaimed Yang.

"You heard me," Sima said as he turned and started heading to the Japanese, "Mr. Pencil Pusher."

Yang clenched his fist as he glared at the retreating form of Sima, _How dare you. First that Admiral Kong He. Now a mere Pilot Officer? You shall not make a fool of me. All these shipgirls are useless, an insult to us. I shall personally scrap them when our New Navy becomes operational._


	2. Settling In

**Settling Down**

Sima, Yoshimura and the shipgirls found themselves in a meeting room with the three leaders and several other military officers.

"Welcome to Shanghai," the Paramount Leader said in English, "and thank you helping us. From what I know, you people will need a base."

"Indeed," Yoshimura replied, "which is what our construction fairies will begin work on as soon as possible."

He turned to face Tenryuu, "Show them a fairy."

Tenryuu nodded. A small orb of light flies out of her headgear. When it came in contact with the table, it burst and turned into a tiny humanoid creature, about the size of Tom Thumb. Maybe smaller. It had a yellow hardhat, fluorescent vest and other construction worker equipment.

"Incredible," Sima said in English, "but how long will it take for them to build a base?"

"A small naval base the size of our Shikotan Base will take a month," Yoshimura replied, "without a base, we cannot have operations. Sure, we can refuel and rearm shipgirls by feeding them, but we need the docks to ensure our ships can be repaired. Conventional docks do not work."

"How long does it take for you to design a base?" asked Ouyang, also in English.

"Our architects can get a design up in three days," Yoshimura replied, "a team of them would be arriving here, assuming they haven't already."

"We have met them," Zhou said, "they are already beginning to find a suitable area, assisted by Chinese engineers."

"Okay," Yoshimura nodded, "so I take that we need a few days to get the base designed and a month to construct."

"Not true," Yang smirked, "we can build the base faster than your engineers can make the designs. I guarantee that we can finish construction in the same day you finish your designs. We aren't employing private construction companies or government controlled construction teams. We are using military construction specialists."

Meanwhile, the shipgirls, unable to understand English, turned to Tenryuu. The light cruiser shrugged and explained she could only get the general gist of things.

"How is the Citadel?" asked Sima in Chinese.

Ouyang shook his head, "Our engineers and construction workers are working around the clock, but it is a massive task. We are talking about repairing the damage done by a hundred Abyssal vessels. Only thirty percent of the railguns are operational. We are considering reactivating the warships moored at Nanjing to take part in the defenses until the Citadel is repaired. The original plan was to wait until we get new radars which can accurately track Abyssals and fast reaction weapons which can keep up with them though. But the situation is pretty desperate."

"To make matters worse," Yang continued, "most of the destroyed railguns are those on the islands of Hangzhou Bay. We have to transport the replacement railguns and construction equipment out there. The guns on the mainland can be made operational by tomorrow or the day after. But the ones on the island will take about a week."

"So we have to defend that area, right?" asked Yat Sen.

"Do you have what it takes?" Yang interrupted.

Yat Sen told the Japanese shipgirls about the situation in Japanese, describing the condition of the Citadel and the requirement to defend the 100 kilometer wide bay. The shipgirls chattered amongst themselves before turning back to face the Chinese ministers.

"Well?" asked Yang, smirking, "What did they say?"

Yat Sen matched Yang's smirk, "Tenryuu said 'Don't leave me out of you are going to fight', Kaga said, 'You shall know the glory of the First Carrier Division', Shimakaze said 'I'll sink them faster than you can count them' and the four destroyers said 'We got this'. Is that a satisfactory answer?"

Ouyang, Zhou and the officers laughed, but Yang didn't.

"I hope you are ready," Yang said, "to keep to your word."

"One promise is worth a thousand gold," Yat Sen winked, "we got this."

"Very well," Zhou nodded, "we will get you places to sleep until the base is built. Tomorrow, you will begin patrols in the Hangzhou Bay."

Sima conveyed this to the Japanese, who are excited to begin work. Tenryuu seems aggressively passionate about sinking Abyssals.

"I won't be able to command you, however," Yoshimura said to the shipgirls, "so I will be counting on Tenryuu to be the leader."

The meeting ended and the various individuals left the room, heading to wherever they needed to. Yoshimura and the Japanese shipgirls picked up their stuff turned left (except for Shimakaze, who got Rensouhou-chan to carry her travel trunk), following an officer. Sima turned right and followed the Chinese ministers and their guards. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Why are you following me?" Sima suddenly turned around and asked Yat Sen.

"Huh?" Yat Sen blurted, "Why wouldn't I? You're my commander, right?"

"Uh," Sima raised an eyebrow, "I am not. You need a person from the Navy. I am from the Air Force. An engineer at that. I know nothing of naval tactics."

"Oh," Yat Sen, slightly taken back, "I see. But where are you going?"

"I am returning to Dachang Air Base," Sima said, "because that is where I am based."

"What about me?" asked Yat Sen, taking a step forward.

"You are no longer my responsibility," Sima said as he turned to follow the ministers and their guards, "understand?"

Yat Sen stood silent before asking, "Do you hate me? Because I am not as good as the…uh…Type 55 or 58? Whatever the hell they are."

"No," Sima said without slowing his pace, "you are a frontline fighter in the war against the Abyssals. And you will be contributing more than I ever can."

"Then," Yat Sen said hesitantly, "will I see you again?"

Sima stopped in his steps, "Perhaps, but I didn't think anyone would ever want to. I don't mix well with other people."

He then continued forward, without turning around.

* * *

"Man, they were so slow," Shimakaze said as she began to unpack her stuff, "does it really take that long to find us a room?"

"Well," Kaga said, "there are a lot of people here. They have to repair the Citadel and bolster its defenses. Are the fortifications working?"

"I saw footage of the attack on Bastion," Tenryuu collapses on the bed, "and those railguns killed a Southern Demon in three hits and an Air Defense Princess in six. Not all of them were direct hits either. Those guns would be every battleship's wet dream. Pity no one has succeeded in making modern weapons for us."

"How are your new engines going?' asked Kaga.

Shimakaze sighed, depressed, "My steam turbines were the best of their time. It is difficult for me to improve upon them. Amateurs like me can only get so far in the engineering business. I need a bach degree. Maybe I'll go to uni after the war."

Tenryuu snorted. Shimakaze can forget that she has a mission the next day and can't sit still for thirty seconds. Definitely not academic material. Yuubari is a different story. She might be a little weird, but no questioning her brain power.

Another helicopter flies over, visible through the window. The huge aircraft had a large artillery piece slung under it, tethered with chains.

"Man," Shimakaze said, "these Chinese people sure have a lot of energy."

"What choice do they have?" Kaga asked, "They have to build up their defenses before the next wave of Abyssals come in."

* * *

Pilot Officer Sima enters the dorm building of Dachang Air Force Base after a long taxi ride. The driver didn't take money, but a selfie instead. It is nice to be back in a place he is familiar with. As soon as he opened the door, he was Zerg-rushed by everyone nearby. There were soldiers, pilots, officers, engineers and journalists.

Before he could even respond, he was bombarded with questions and camera flashes.

"Pilot Officer Sima," said a journalist, "what exactly happened on Shikotan Island?"

"What?"

"Hey comrade!" shouted a soldier, "How did you make Yat Sen?"

"Huh?"

"She has a nice body!" said an officer, "You like it?"

"Eh?"

"STOP!" a loud voice shouted.

The mob took one look at the speaker and backed off. The speaker is a man in his late fifties in blue air force uniform. Although his age showed in his hair and wrinkles, it was overshadowed by the power and control he radiated.

"Squadron Leader Zhang," Sima prepared to salute.

"No need," Zhang stopped him, "you have been through so much over the last days."

He frowned, "But a shower with soap does not seem to be one of them. Please go rectify that as soon as possible."

"Oh," Sima said awkwardly, "yeah, I'll go."

"Did no one else survive?" asked Zhang.

Sima lowered his head and sighed, "No. Yat Sen said I was the only one she could find. It was a storm with fifteen metre waves, high winds and very low visibility."

"I see," Zhang nodded, "but it's good so see survivors. Better still to see a shipgirl who is combat ready."

"I'll be on my way," Sima said, "I can talk later."

"No," Zhang said, "take the day off. You are going to be busy."

"Huh?" Sima blurted.

"The nations of the world have been attempting to make modern weapons for shipgirls," Zhang explained, "and given the substandard performance of Yat Sen, it is important that we do the same. However, all attempts so far have failed. They have shrunk the weapons to shipgirl size, but the firepower wasn't condensed. A laser weapon is no more powerful than a laser pointer."

Zhang then locks his eyes with Sima, "But you, who have been called the Magician, Mad Scientist and various other things, have yet to attempt it."

He then walks forward, passing the Pilot Officer, "Sometimes, thinking outside the box and deviating from the conventional can do amazing things."

"Yes sir," Sima said, "I will do my best."


	3. First Day on the Job

**First Day on the Job**

Yoshimura shuffled out of his room, looking extremely disheveled. The same can be said for the other shipgirls who also left their room.

"Didn't sleep much?" asked Yoshimura sheepishly.

"Yeah," Shimakaze said, not sounding hyper for once, "going to sleep was hard."

Even Rensouhou-chan looked tired.

"Slept more than the Chinese guys out there," Tenryuu rubbed her eyes, "seriously, what the FUCK is up with them? I get the importance of bringing defenses up ASAP, but I swear they were going at it the whole night."

"The Chinese are hardworking," winked Yat Sen, "happy to see this hasn't changed."

The thunder of a helicopters rotor passed by.

"But they're still going at it!" Tenryuu growled, "Isn't this slave labour?"

"Our morale is already pretty low, eh?" commented Kaga.

"When I lose sleep," Tenryuu said, "I get into a bad mood. You know what make it better again? Killing Abyssals. That makes my day."

"Well," Yoshimura said, "at least you girls haven't caused me trouble already."

"Huh?" asked Akatsuki, "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me," Kaga said, "Akagi cleaned out another restaurant?"

"Or Yuubari got arrested for making chemical weapons?" asked Tenryuu, "Because she tested a white phosphorus shell a few years back and the UN went apeshit on her ass."

"Well," Yoshimura shrugged, "Admiral Kadawa reported that Naka got pissed off when she saw an old billboard advertising a Hatsune Miku concert from about a decade back. She threw a huge hissy fit before jumping into a fountain, materializing her rigging and blowing up the billboard, scaring the shit out of the journalists and civilians in the process. They almost got shot by army troopers and marines. Some dickhead called Yang Tian tried to use this as leverage to kick us out of China but he got pwned by the military, government, media and otakus who were pro-shipgirl."

"That green haired virtual idol?" asked Tenryuu, "Naka got jealous of a Vocaloid?"

"Well," Hibiki said, "we all know Naka likes to be at the centre of attention, but going that far was unexpected."

"A real lady never loses her temper," Akatsuki grinned, "and yet she expects to be an idol?"

"Well," Ikazuchi said, "if there are otaku's here, then

"Ah," said a passing officer in English, "you are the shipgirl team sent here?"

"Yes," Yoshimura replied, "that is us."

"Come outside," the officer said, "we have your breakfast."

"Why can't we eat in the cafeteria?" pouted Shimakaze.

"Because it probably won't hold enough food for all of us," Tenryu said, "I mean, Kaga might clean out the cafeteria on her own."

The carrier glared at the light cruiser but couldn't make a smart comeback.

* * *

Indeed, food was delivered by a small truck. The portion size is all human sized, but there was easily food for thirty people. The shipgirls were fighting hard to not drool as the smell wafted over to them. There was a huge variety of food with roots from all over East and Southeast Asia.

"This is good," Inazuma said, "I never had this in my life. What is it?"

"I think that is laksa," Yoshimura said, "something from Malaysia, I think."

"Man," Tenryuu takes a drink of tea, "these guys are dishing out serious incentives to get us to fight. Well I am not complaining."

"A nice change from the stuff on Shikotan," Shimakaze said, "this curry is pretty good."

A little while later, the food was finished.

"Alright," Yat Sen said, "we've eaten our entrée. Now for the main course with Abyssals."

"Let's go!" Tenryuu ordered.

"Wait," the officer said in Chinese, catching Yat Sen's attention only, "I'll tell you the radio frequency we are using just so you can contact us."

 **SPACE**

Ten minutes later, a CAIC Z-25 rapid insertion tiltjet thundered over the sea, heading to a cluster of islands in the outer reaches of Hangzhou bay. The shipgirls and several soldiers sat in the cargo hold, waiting to reach their destination. On the way, they passed many helicopters carrying various armored fighting vehicles and artillery pieces.

"What is that?" asked Tenryuu as she pointed at the sea.

Yat Sen looked and saw a silver ship heading towards the Pacific Ocean. It is quite large, being a hundred and seventy or so metres long. The ship itself is composed of flat, faceted surfaces and seemed to lack weapons. Yat Sen asked a marine.

"What ship is that?" Yat Sen asked.

The marine looked at the ship and said, "That is a Type 55 destroyers. It is the only ship of its class to survive the annihilation of the Chinese Navy. It was deactivated and has been moored at Nanjing for the last eight years. By the order of the National Mobilization Committee, it has been reactivated and will be contributing to the defense."

Yat Sen conveyed this to the Japanese, who are surprised.

"That ship is a destroyer?" asked Akatsuki, "It's the size of a heavy cruiser."

"Much has changed since our time," Tenryuu said, "the navies of the world have technology that is beyond the imagination of those from our times. If only a modern shipgirl came back. It would make the war much shorter."

"That ship is quite old," another marine said, checking his missile launcher, "it was built in 2018. Don't think we will be building any new ships any time too soon. The Abyssals destroyed much of the Chinese coastal settlements. Tianjin and Shanghai are all that is left. I hear Sentinel is planned to defend the river outlets near Hong Kong and Macau."

"Has Macau returned to China?" asked Yat Sen.

"Yes," the marine nodded, "in 1999. That was a long time ago and it really doesn't matter because it is in ruins now. The only reason Sentinel is going to be built at all is to stop Abyssals from hitting Guangzhou and Foshan. They have before and I have no doubt they will try again."

Yat Sen couldn't see the marine's face as it was guarded by a visor, but she can tell he is irritated. China is spending eleven percent of its GDP on the war against Abyssals when other countries either pulled back from the coast and major rivers or relied on their shipgirls to do most of the fighting. A war this long with a seemingly infinite number of enemies and no end in sight would grind on anyone's nerves.

The Z-25 slowed before hovering about two metres above Qushan Island. The marines jump out first, followed by the taller shipgirls. They then helped Shimakaze and the Akatsuki-class out. The Z-25 then sped away, heading to wherever it is needed next. The group was dropped off on the hill of an island.

To their left is a village and harbour. More accurately, the remains of one. A few hundred metres in front of them, a team of engineers surrounded a damaged railgun turret. Like the marines, they had full body armor. The difference is that their version lacked the armor plates, making it seem more like a combat suit. Two tanks and an anti-aircraft vehicle are parked nearby.

"Okay," Tenryuu said, "that village down there looks like a good place to start. Let's go."

The shipgirls nod and follow the light cruiser as they make their way down to the harbor.

* * *

Soon, they arrive at the edge of the water. The harbor is clogged with the remains of destroyed fishing ships.

"This place is creepy," whispered Inazuma, "is it haunted?"

"Maybe by Abyssals," Tenryuu snorted, "alright girls, you know the drill."

The girls nod as they walk into the water and materialize their rigging.

"Okay team," Tenryuu ordered, "move out."

The shipgirl group slowly accelerate and head towards the opening of the harbor, passing the hulks of the fishing ships, which tower above them as they passed by. A minute or so later, they leave the harbor and move towards the open ocean.

"Kaga," Tenryuu said, "launch some planes. Neither we nor the Chinese want to be caught off guard."

"Acknowledged," Kaga nodded as she drew her bow, "sending out the first wave."

The carrier then release the bowstring. The arrow shoots forward for a short distance before bursting into flames, which then materialize into Type 0 fighters. The aircraft fly into the distance. Some continue their eastern path. Some turned to head in a more northern direction and still others turned to head south.

"What do we do?" asked Yat Sen.

"Stay close to these islands," Tenryuu said, "and make sure no submarine decides to ambush us."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Dachang Air Base, a certain Pilot Officer is engaged in a conversation with the engineering team of the base.

"So," Sima asked, "I have been told that I am supposed to make modern weapons compatible with Yat Sen and any other Chinese shipgirl who may follow. What have we done so far?"

"Nothing," replied another Pilot Officer, "because we didn't have a shipgirl."

"Okay," Sima sweatdropped, "fair enough. But now that we do, we should really get started. We may have not done anything, but I heard the foreign powers have."

"Yes," the Pilot Officer replied, "we have heard that the US has shrunk ship-based laser weapons to shipgirl size, but the results were absolute failures. The laser output is similar to a laser designator. It can't do anything except for dazzle the eyes of the Abyssals. The US tested shipgirl size missiles. They can barely destroy a glass bottle. You can't just shrink the weapons. You need to somehow condense the firepower."

"Nothing that we don't already know," Sima interrupted, "that is old news. What I meant was, has any new progress been made?"

"By now, all the nations have thrown up their hands," said the Pilot Officer, "called it fairy magic and gave up continuing."

Everyone shook their head. A Flying Officer then said, "Well, that's why you are here, Magician. Can't you think of something? The British spoke about you. They wondered what you would do, now that we have Yat Sen."

Sima scoffed, "What the hell is with my reputation. I can't just shit out some diabolical master plan on demand. I need detailed knowledge on what we need to do and what we have to do."

"That's the problem," said the Flying Officer, "we have no idea besides 'giving modern weapons to shipgirls'."

"I need more detailed instructions!" Sima said, "I need to know which direction we are moving right now."

"We are on the spot, dead still," another Pilot Officer, "that is all."

"Okay," Sima clutches his hair, "fine. If that is how you want to put it. What we know is that the weapons carried by the shipgirls function the exact same way as regular human weapons…but."

"But?" asked the Flying Officer with hope in his voice.

"I will need some time to think," Sima released his hair, some of which have already fallen out, "give me a few days."

The other engineers look at him.

"We may not have a few days." The Flying Officer said.

"Fine," Sima rubbed his forehead, "then at least give me enough time ask the Japanese about shipgirl rigging in great detail."


	4. Battle of Hangzhou Bay I

**Battle of Hangzhou Bay I**

The shipgirl fleet has left Hangzhou Bay, but remained within a kilometer of the nearest island. Although conventional weapons have trouble hitting targets as small as Abyssals without effective tracking, hits can still cause serious damage.

"Scouts reporting," Kaga suddenly said, "we have three fleets coming in from the northeast, east and southeast. From the northeast we have two Ru-class battleships, three Tsu-class cruisers and five Ha-class. From due east we have a Southern demon, two Ta-class and five I-class. Behind them we have three Wo-class. From the southeast we have a Re-class, two Ri-class and three Ha-class. The Re-class fleet is the closest to us."

"I got bad news," Yat Sen reported to the Chinese, "ten Abyssal ships coming in from the northeast, thirteen from the east and eight from the south. Relative to our position."

"Acknowledged," replied a voice on her radio, "we are sending out reinforcements."

"We are in serious shit," Tenryuu sweated, "fighting an Abyssal fleet that big on our own."

"My girls are already engaging the enemy," Kaga said as she drew her bow, "I am preparing to send in the next wave. But they won't make it before the Abyssals hit the mainland."

An arrow darted through the air, this time changing into dive bombers.

"We'll be lucky to get through this alive," Yat Sen said, "unless we have serious reinforcements."

"What do we do?" asked Inazuma, on the verge of crying.

"We fight," Tenryuu said, her grip tightening on her sword, "because that was the deal between China and Japan. Japan gets Chinese railguns and we protect the Citadel."

 **SPACE**

Sima and the other engineers were engaged in heated debate when the announcement of incoming Abyssals was made.

"Alright!" the Flying Officer said, "You boys know what to do! Get your asses to the drone command room!"

The engineer officers wasted no time as they sprinted out of the meeting room and headed to the drone command room for Dachang Drone Squad Two. The said room is the control centre for unmanned air vehicles, filled with rows of flight simulator like setups from which people can operate drones. Three touchscreen monitors, two joysticks and foot pedals made the setup. Whereas normal aircraft are manned by pilots, drones are commanded exclusively by engineers.

"Alright boys," a Pilot Officer said as he sits down in front of a computer, "let's do this."

He turns the computer on and puts on the headset, which contained headphones, a microphone and a small visor with HUD. All creens light up, displaying various images.

"Just like the battle-sim," Sima said, "except we are flying things costing millions of taxpayer yuan."

He also goes through the process of turning the computer on. After logging in, he then goes through the process of bringing a drone online. The drone he chose is the AVIC 601-S Divine Sword. Like its predecessor, the Dark Sword, the Divine Sword placed more emphasis on maneuverability and ordnance carrying capacity than endurance. The difference is that the Divine Sword has forward swept wings and thrust vectoring nozzles, allowing it to pull turns of 30gs.

By now, Sima and the officers who got here first have already taken control of their drones and moved them towards the runway. In front of them, normal manned fighters and strike fighters prepared to take off. Helicopters gunships and their tiltjet successors lift off and head towards the ocean, not needing a runway to fly.

The jets speed down the runway. By the time the first one lifted off, the second one is speeding down the runway and the third is moving into position, preparing for take-off.

"Follow my lead," said the Flying Officer, "my squad."

After the Flying Officer lifted off, Sima move his drone to the runway.

"Pilot Officer Sima, entering battle!"

He flicks two areas on the touchscreen to his right, putting the throttle to maximum and turning on the afterburner. The drone accelerates forward and lifts off, gaining altitude rapidly. Within a minute, five Divine Swords have taken off.

"DDS Two Alpha is airborne," said the Flying Officer.

"DDS Two Charlie is airborne," said Sima.

Bravo, Echo and Delta followed in quick succession.

"DDS Two is airborne," announced the Flying Officer, "awaiting further instructions."

"Roger that, DDS Two, head towards the southeast and support the shipgirls."

"Acknowledged, DDS Two moving into position."

The drones pull a sharp turn and speed in the direction of Yat Sen and the Japanese shipgirls.

* * *

"This is the last arrow," Kaga said, as she prepared to launch another wave, "then we are on our own. All other aircraft have been shot down."

"Will the conventional forces be much help?" asked Akatsuki, "I saw tanks and guns on the islands. Lots of aircraft are here too."

"Unlikely," Tenryuu shook her head, "but since there is so much of them here…the answer is maybe."

Kaga releases the arrow, which transforms into a flight of Type 0 fighters.

"If we sink," Kaga said, "it would be an honorable one. Consider it atonement for what we did decades ago."

"Eh," Ikazuchi laughed nervously, "we are right next to the island, so unless we get ripped into little pieces, we can survive even if our rigging is destroyed."

"Thanks for the mental image," hissed Tenryuu, "hey Yat Sen, how are the Chinese defenses?"

"Only 30% of the railguns are operational," replied Yat Sen, "and most of them are on the mainland. Which is a long way from here."

"I see the enemy!" Shimakaze announced whilst looking through her binoculars, "It's the Re-class group!"

"Shit," cursed Tenryuu, "Re-class are as tough as some Princess and Demons. We're in some serious trouble here."

Five black shadows sped over them, barely thirty metres above the water. The air wave they generated staggered them, blew their hair all over the place and lifted up their skirts. Only a few seconds later did a hollow, booming roar shake the area. The five shadows pulled their noses up until their angle of attack hit 120 while maintaining their altitude. The move revealed them to be triangular aircraft with canards and forward swept wings. They quickly lost airspeed before reverting to normal flight. The shipgirls stared blankly.

Kaga was the first to recover, "How did they do that?"

"What are they, nanodesu?" asked Inazuma.

"Reinforcements," Tenryuu grinned, "now, while they distract the Abyssals..."

 **SPACE**

"That was an epic Pugachev! As expected of DDS Two," the Flying Officer said, "hey control, weapons free?"

"Weapons free," control replied.

"You heard the man," the Flying Officer ordered, "let's get these sons of bitches!"

"Tch," Sima snorted, "can't you fly a drone without your bullshit drama?"

"Hey," the Flying Officer retorted, "it raises the morale and makes us all feel young."

 _Feel stupid and childish,_ Sima thought, _if you ask me. But he is my superior and it isn't causing any harm._

As soon as he finished the thought, he initiated the bombing run.

 _Select weapon hardpoint_ , Sima clicks on his left screen, which displayed a top down outline of the Divine Sword, the location of hard points and what weapons are mounted on them. The Pilot Officer selected the left inboard hardpoint. The equipped weapon is a 500lb smart bomb. The weapon can be either guided by a satellite or a laser. But Sima isn't using either of them. He would do an old fashioned bombing run.

After Sima pressed the icon, the screen changed to a view below the aircraft. That screen displayed the targeting reticule for the laser. But he won't be needing it. He would do an old fashioned bombing run. As his Divine Sword raced towards the enemy, he made the final preparations.

"Happy Birthday in your next world," Sima said, "motherfuckers."

The Divine Swords release their bombs. Explosions erupt on the surface of the water.

"Anyone hit anything?" asked the Flying Officer.

"We won't know until we turn around," Sima said, pulling back on the joystick, causing the drone to climb sharply, "but we're coming back for a second run."

* * *

"They are bombing the Abyssals," Shimakaze said, still looking through the binoculars, "and…"

"Did they hit?" asked Tenryuu.

"Not a single hit. They missed by tens of metres! They are distracting the Abyssals, which have stopped advancing."

"Good," Tenryuu said, "alright girls, this is the plan. Yat Sen, escort Kaga as far away from here as possible. She can't do anything without her air wing. Now, we charge in and send them some torpedoes while they are distracted. But we have to be fast so the Abyssals don't notice us and the Chinese don't hit us by mistake."

"No one is faster than me," Shimakaze grinned.

"Wait for it," Tenryuu said, looking as the drone make another bombing run.

Once again, not a single bomb hits. As the drones move away to make another bombing run, Tenryuu gave the order.

"Line ahead, girls!" Tenryuu ordered, "Charge!"

* * *

The Re-class growled as it dived to the side, propelled by its massive tail. A bomb landed quite a distance from her, but the splash and shockwave still impacted her. The aviation battleship's tail end fired its guns at the drones to no avail. They are simply too fast.

It wondered whether attacking this section of land was worth it. Entire Abyssal armadas have been annihilated here. Even Princesses didn't survive. The Re-class thought that the defenses would be annihilated after the Hundred Ship Assault, but it seems the landlubbers here are still fighting strong. At least those hellish cannons which kill Princesses and Demons in a few hits are silent today.

Suddenly shells rained down upon them, destroying a Ha-class, inflicting light damage on a Ri-class and moderately damaging another Ha-class. The Re-class growled as two shells hit it. Turning to face the source of gunfire, it sees the rapidly approaching team of shipgirls. Shimakaze led the charge, speeding ahead at her top speed of 40.9 knots. The Akatsuki-class and Tenryuu followed closely behind.

The Re-class bared its teeth. Earlier in the war she sunk entire conventional fleets on her own. Later, when shipgirls appeared, she also sent a few back to where they came from. Now a few destroyers want to take her on? The Ri-class escorts have already turned to face the threat.

"All ships, hard to starboard!" Tenryuu shouted, "Torps away!"

The destroyers unleash a barrage of torpedoes which speed through the water. There is so many that it is impossible to get through without a few hits. The destroyers explode and quickly slip under the surface of the sea. The Ri-class also get heavily damaged, but by sacrificing themselves, they prevented the Re-class from taking any hits.

The Abyssal aviation battleship grinned evilly. Now that they have fired their torpedoes, it will take time for them to be reloaded. Their guns pose absolutely no threat to a ship of her size.

* * *

"Bombing runs are ineffective," a Pilot Officer reported, "we have made two passes and neither had any impact on the enemy."

"Then hitting human sized targets while moving at 600 knots would be difficult for anyone," Sima said, "permission to take command?"

"Granted," the Flying Officer laughed, "but didn't you say earlier that you can't make a plan on demand? But a plan is what you have now. Care to share it?"

"Nothing," Sima grinned evilly, "nothing too spectacular, heh heh heh."

* * *

"What the hell?" exclaimed Ikazuchi, "Those aircraft are retreating?"

The Re-class also seemed to notice, because it growled menacingly and pointed its tail at the fleet of shipgirls. The sound of explosions echoed over the sea as the guns fired. Hibiki took heavy damage in one hit. Inazuma and Akatsuki received moderate damage. Tenryuu and Ikazuchi managed to emerge unscathed.

"Retreat!" Tenryuu ordered, "I'll hold off the Abyssal bitch."

"But-" Ikazuchi opened her mouth.

"Just go!"

"Alright girls!" Ikazuchi shouts, "We are pulling back to the Kaga and Yat Sen! Let's go!"

 _Sorry Admiral,_ Tenryuu said, _I guess I've reached the end of my road. I had a good run, given the obsolescence of my design. Kaga, take care of the kids._

Tenryuu fires off a spread of torpedoes at the Re-class as she steamed towards the aviation battleship, sword at her side. The Re-class saw her, but instead of firing its guns, it charged at Tenryuu as well.

* * *

 **Those of you who are wondering what happened to Kirov, go over to Kantai Collection: Red Fleet Resurrected.**


	5. Battle of Hangzhou Bay II

**Battle of Hangzhou Bay II**

Tenryuu and the Re-class charge at each other. The former with her sword ready and the latter with her tail ready. The Re-class growled as it swung its tail in a wide horizontal arc. Tenryuu leans back and slides under the swipe, the tail passing millimeters over her headgear. The cruiser then dug her heels into the water and stood back up. Before the Re-class could recover, Tenryuu lunges and swings her sword. The blade hit the Re-class in the base of the skull but didn't even do anything.

The Re-class snarled and turned around to attack Tenryuu. Before it could even face the light cruiser, it took two 14cm shells in the face. Tenryuu followed up the attack with a powerful downwards swing of her sword. The blade bounced off the Re-class's head.

Tenryuu suddenly noticed that the five drones are turning around fast. She need to distract the Abyssal a little longer. The Abyssal's tail swung at Tenryuu again. The cruiser raised her sword and blocked the blow, but the hit was so powerful that it sent Tenryuu flying at least ten metres. The cruiser recovered and fired her 14cms and launched a spread of four 61cm torpedoes. The Re-class dived out of the way of the torpedoes, being surprisingly fast for a battleship. Almost immediately afterwards, it pointed its tail mounted guns at Tenryuu and fired. Tenryuu avoided most of the shots, but three 16 inch shells hit her, dealing moderate damage out of pure luck.

As she tried to stand up, she saw the Re-class grin sadistically. Tenryuu looked behind he Re-class and her eyes went wide.

* * *

The Re-class laughed to itself after it had the shipgirl cornered. The fool tried to take on a ship bigger, tougher and just as fast in close combat. Now she shall pay for her stupidity. The shipgirl saw something behind her and accelerated to the side. The Re-class turned around to see what caused the shipgirl to flee.

Just in time to see a Divine Sword drone speed down towards her. A kamikaze attack. The Re-class leapt back and raised its tail. The drone crashed into the Abyssal at two hundred kilometres per hour. The impact pulverized the drone and knocked back the Re-class quite a distance whilst dealing considerable damage, but the Abyssal somehow halted the aircraft with its tail.

* * *

 **"** Pilot Officer!" shouted the Flying Officer, "Was that your plan? To turn a Divine Sword into a four hundred million yuan bomb?"

"No sir," Sima replied, "a four hundred million yuan target designator. The black box is operational and its coordinates can be tracked by GPS."

He then switched channel to speak to the control, "Control, this is DDS Two Charlie, the drone has gone down and is in enemy hands. Requesting fire at the coordinates of DDS Two Charlie."

"Copy that, passing coordinates onto the ship."

"Acknowledged, DDS Two Charlie out," Sima said before taking his headphones off, "well, my job here is done. It's up to you to tell the others whether it worked."

"Your plan better work," the Flying Officer said, "or I'll be putting the cost of the drone under your tab."

* * *

In Hangzhou bay, the Type 055 destroyer has just received its latest instructions. The warship was firing anti-ship cruise missiles blindly at the general positions of the Abyssal warships and shooting down Abyssal aircraft with its laser CIWS.

"Captain we have DDS Two requesting fire support," said a bridge officer, "they have sent us the coordinates of a Re-class Abyssal aviation battleship which they have managed to trap."

"Finally we are going to hit something," the captain said, "we've being missing the Abyssals for the whole fight. If it is a Re-class, we shall be generous. Send them five missiles."

"Yes sir," the bridge officer said before ordering, "commence firing sequence, target the given coordinates."

"Kill track, latitude 30.348383," said a weapons officer, "longitude 122.802402."

"Target acquired," said another, "missiles free."

A third of the ships length from the stern is the main weapon of the Type 055 destroyer. It is the location of a massive vertical launch system, packing a hundred and twenty eight missiles. Five hatches open and after a short delay, five missiles shoot out from the system and arc towards the location of the Re-class Abyssal.

* * *

Tenryuu looked over her shoulder as she retreated. The Re-class is trapped within the wreckage of the kamikaze drone. The two Ri-class escorts are nowhere to be seen. Tenryuu runs a self-diagnostic. She was fortunate that the shells didn't inflict much damage. Unfortunately, the shells took out two steam turbines and three boilers, reducing her speed and evasion greatly.

As she looked forward again, Tenryuu noticed several objects flying in her direction. They passed over her head at the same speed as the drones. Turning around, the light cruiser managed to catch the sight of the missiles hitting the wreckage. Because Sima reduced the speed of the drone and turned off the engines and electronics before the crash, jet fuel was sprayed all over the place without being ignited.

The missiles rectified that.

When the first missile hit, a massive explosion erupted. As fuel vapor was wafting about, the whole area was turned into a thermobaric bomb. The blast was so powerful that Tenryuu felt the shockwave in the air and the water, the former almost knocking her over and the latter jolting her legs. By the time the last missile hit, there was nothing but little pieces of flaming metal left.

 _It's not that conventional weapons can't deal damage,_ Yuubari's words echoed in Tenryuu's head, _it's that their tracking systems don't work with Abyssals and you can't expect a human to hit a human sized target moving at thirty knots without any assistance._

"But where is the skill in that?" Tenryuu asked out loud, "In my days, you needed skillful gunners to hit a target. Now you just need fancy electronics and the push of a button."

The cruiser continued its path towards the island they landed on. As she entered the harbour of Qushan Island, she saw the other shipgirls waving at her. A few marines stood nearby. Tenryuu chuckled as she sailed to land and dissipated her rigging.

"Tenryuu," Kaga said, "you alright?"

The light cruiser smirked, "I am Tenryuu, the Heavenly Dragon. Of course I am alright. The Re-class got obliterated. The stupid thing didn't launch any aircraft. Don't know what the fuck was up with that noob move but I ain't complaining. What about the other Abyssals?"

"The marines said the air force is mopping up the rest of them," Yat Sen answered, "this invasion is very small compared to the previous one and the ships are far less powerful. Even without the railguns, the invasion didn't stand a chance. We lost some armored vehicles and aircraft, but losses are much lighter compared to the previous attack."

"That's good to hear," Tenryuu said, "hey, when is our base gonna get constructed? I need to get to the docks as soon as possible."

"Yang Tian said that construction can be done in the same day the designs is finished by Japanese engineers," Yat Sen said, "but I am skeptical about their claim."

"Shoot," Shimakze said, "build a base in one day? That's really fast."

"Indeed," Kaga said, "even with modern technology…"

"But that is still a while before Tenryuu can get into the docks," Hibiki said, "and during this time, Tenyruu's condition may deteriorate."

"I thought you knew better," Tenryuu said to Hibiki, "we aren't humans. Unless we've caught fire, our injuries don't get worse."

Yat Sen conversed with a marine before returning her attention to the other shipgirls, "We have transports coming in from Chongming to take us all back to Shanghai."

"I wonder what we have for dinner," Shimakaze said as a Z-25 approached the island.

* * *

A short flight later, the transport lands at Chongming Air Base. As the shipgirls disembark, they were swarmed by people of the air base and bombarded with questions until Yoshimura pulled them out.

"So, Tenryuu," the Admiral asked outside their rooms, "how did you go?"

"We wiped out the Re-class battlegroup," Tenryuu said, "and Kaga's air wing inflicted damage to all invading Abyssals. However, all of her aircraft have been shot down. Except for Kaga, Yat Sen and Ikazuchi, all of us sustained some measure of damage."

"I have good news for you," Yoshimura said, "it turns out that the construction of the base can be finished by tomorrow night."

"How?" asked Shimakaze, "Didn't the engineers say they needed three days to design the base at the minimum?"

"Because the Chinese are designing and building their own base," Yoshimura said, "the only components of a shipgirl base that cannot be built by humans is the factory and docks. The dorms and cafeteria can all be built by humans."

"But what do we do before then?" asked Kaga.

"A hotel in Shanghai has offered their bathhouse to use as makeshift dock," Yoshimura said, "and accommodation for until the base is complete."

The Admiral turns to Yat Sen, "A Chinese naval commander has also been appointed to be the commander of the Chinese shipgirls. He will be responsible for Yat Sen."

"Oh?" Tenryuu raised an eyebrow, "Don't officers go through a special academy to command shipgirls?"

"Not here, apparently," Yoshimura shook his head, "they got an Officer Cadet straight from a naval academy. The Chinese said that modern naval knowledge would be pretty much useless anyway. Apparently he was the only Navy guy who can read, write and speak Japanese fluently."

"Oh yeah," Shimakaze said, "Yat Sen, how come you know our language."

"Because after being sunk at Nanjing in September 1937," Yat Sen said, "I was raised and used as a training ship for submarine cadets. Named Atada."

"You," Kaga said, "I was the one…"

"I know," Yat Sen said, "and I don't know if I can forgive you for that, or for what Japan did back in the 30's but I am willing to put down the past because we are fighting a common enemy."

The sound of clapping echoed throughout the hallway. Turning to face the source, Yat Sen and the Japanese see a young man leaning against the wall. He is younger than Pilot Officer Sima, perhaps not even twenty, and shorter too. He looked more normal, having black hair, dark brown eyes and tanned skin.

"You are?" inquired Yat Sen.

"I am Officer Cadet Zhao Xi," the man introduced himself, "your new commander. Pleased to meet you all."

"Wait," Yat Sen said, "what about Pilot Officer Si-"

"Pfft," Zhao said, "who cares about that freak? Nobody likes him. He is difficult to get friendly with and his grades aren't even that good. Last I know, he is in Dachang Air Base, probably getting his ass kicked for crashing a very expensive drone. Divine Swords cost four hundred million yuan each, you know."

"But," Tenryuu said, "that move saved our lives. It also allowed accurate hits from conventional ships which killed the Re-class."

"Yeah," Zhao shrugged, "but if we use his methods, China would go broke long before we wipe out the Abyssals. But enough about him. We have to check in at a five hotel in Shanghai. I am then advised to show you a good time today and tomorrow. Because after that, we will be working hard."


	6. We need the Magician

**We Need the Magician**

"Anyway," Zhao said, "first of all, we need to get you repaired. To our knowledge, all you need to do is to soak in a bath and you'll magically recover over time. Is that true?"

"Uh, no!" Tenryuu exclaimed, "We don't use ordinary water!"

"Then what?" asked Zhao, "Water infused with animu shipgirl magic?"

"You could call it that," Kaga said, "it is water that is infused with the essence of steel."

Zhao tilted his and frowned before asking, "Whut? Essence of steel? Is it iron or carbon?"

"This is going to take a long explanation," Yoshimura said, "and no offense, I think it would be better for Pilot Officer Sima to be here as well. I think we need the Magician."

"Who care about that freak?" Zhao asked, "Don't worr-"

He didn't finish because out of nowhere, Pilot Officer Sima appeared and, being taller, put him in a chokehold.

"What did you call me?" he growled.

"Gack-" Zhao spluttered, "when did you get here?"

"Answer my question!" Sima said as he tightened the grip.

"I called you a freak," Zhao rasped out.

"That's sir to you," Sima continued, "you little fuck."

"Stop it," Yat Sen said, "you'll kill him."

Sima sighs before releasing his grip, "Fine."

Zhao coughs as he tries to catch his breath.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I was sent here by Squadron Leader Zhang," Sima replied, "he assigned me as the engineering officer of the shipgirl fleet. I'll be sticking around here for a while."

"Shit," muttered Zhao, before saying, "what? I didn't say anything!"

"Then I might get deployed to Tianjin to learn about shipgirls from Yuubari or to Yokosuka with Akashi. Don't think the latter is likely, but… "

Yat Sen felt a plunging sensation in her stomach. Maybe she needed to grab a bite to eat.

"Yuubari is smart," Akatsuki said, "but she is kind weird."

"Whatever," Zhao said before turning back to Sima, "these girls have been going on about needing some special magical water to heal. Got a master plan?"

"I can't make up shit on the spot," Sima exclaimed, "I need to know more about shipgirls. By the way, the Japanese are sending in shipgirl reinforcements."

"Huh?"

"Yeah," Sima said, "the four Kongou class fast battleships. Kongou and Hiei will be sent here while Haruna and Kirishima will be sent to Tianjin."

"Not them," Tenryuu frowned and facepalmed.

"The Bohai Bay was attacked today, you know. A fleet of fifty Abyssal vessels virtually obliterated the Bastion. Even Admiral Jun Kadawa's shipgirls didn't stand a chance against an invasion of that magnitude. I heard one of them sunk."

"What?" Yoshimura said, "Just a few days ago Tenryuu and I saw them annihilate a fleet of thirty ships. How did…"

"Shanghai has several bases in close proximity to the Citadel," Sima explained, "while the Bastion is further from military bases, meaning it takes longer for aircraft to reach it. The equipment you saw are old model weapons we have already phased out and are operated by reserve personnel who are based there. Bastion is now abandoned. Army forces are pulling further up river to create choke points instead."

"Damn," Ikazuchi exclaimed, "the Abyssals seem determined to bring down China. We never got this much attacks in Japan."

"When do Kongou and Hiei arrive, nanodesu?" asked Inazuma.

"When the Japanese heard the Bastion was breached, they immediately ordered the Kongou-class to come here ASAP," Sima said, "and Tenryuu, what is up with the Kongou-class?"

Tenryuu looks up at him, "You don't want to know."

"Very well," Sima raised an eyebrow, "now tell me about the special water you need to heal."

"That would require an explanation from an expert," Yoshimura said.

* * *

A young girl with green hair and pale skin lay on a hospital bed, sharing a room with another patient. Earlier, she and the other shipgirls had a tough fight. A fleet of fifty Abyssal vessels rocked up at the Bastion and attacked. This time, all of them were Chi-class or bigger. The defenses were simply swept aside. Casualties is currently at two hundred and fifty seven dead and at least five hundred injured. Air Force and Army reinforcements are being brought in from central and western China.

Even though shipgirls are born as powerful as their Abyssal rivals, such odds simply cannot be overcome. All of Kadawa's shipgirls took heavy damage. Sendai had it the worst. The light cruiser had to eject her rigging to avoid sinking and was pulled to shore by Fubuki. But at least she survived, which was more than could be said for Naka, who was sunk by Battleship Princess. In the end, the shipgirls were forced to go back onto land and retreat with a squad of tanks. The Abyssals were finally routed when the Chinese carpet bombed the area with ballistic missiles armed with thermobaric warheads.

"Yuubari," a male voice said from outside the door, "can I come in?"

"Yes, Admiral," the girl replied.

The door opens and a middle aged man walks in.

"Are you okay?" asked the man.

Younger than Yoshimura, but older than Sima, the man sported short hair and a cleanly shaved face. Although he is younger than most admirals, he carried with him an air of intellect and prudence. But today, even Jun Kadawa of the Japanese Shipgirl Force looked defeated.

"Yeah," Yuubari said as she sat up, "I fared better than Sendai."

The light cruiser reincarnation nodded at the other patient. In the other bed lay a sleeping shipgirl. This girl appeared to be younger. She has brown hair which framed a face covered in bandages.

"I'm sorry," Yuubari said, "we failed to stop the Abyssals. Bastion has been breached."

"It's not your fault," Kadawa said in a gentle tone, "not even the Yokosuka Fleet could have taken an Abyssal fleet that big and won. The Chinese don't blame you. An interpreter told me that you girls fought bravely against overwhelming odds. The Japanese are sending Haruna and Kirishima here as reinforcements. Kongou and Hiei will be dispatched to Shanghai."

"It won't help," Yuubari shook her head, "they are powerful, experienced and are in Kai Ni forms, but the Abyssal fleets here are nothing like the Abyssal fleets back home. In Japan, we almost never see more than ten ships in a fleet. Here? We are fighting fleets five times bigger and routinely get Princesses and Demons. And we haven't lost anyone since 2029 but today…Naka…"

Yuubari broke down into sobs and covered her face with her hands.

Kadawa sits down on her bed and puts his arm around Yuubari. He was about to say something when his phone vibrated. Kadawa take it out, scowling. He was about to turn it off when he noticed the call is from Yoshimura.

"Sorry, Yuubari," Kadawa said, "a call from Yoshimura. I'll be back."

"No," Yuubari shakes her head, "stay with me."

Kadawa sighs in defeat, "Okay."

He answers the call, "I am in a hospital now, Admiral, so can it wait?"

"I supposed it could," Yoshimura said on the phone, "but I think it would be better if we talk now. Or, let Yuubari and Pilot Officer Sima talk. He wants to know how shipgirls work."

"No," Kadawa said sternly, "Yuubari has been injured in the fight against the Abyssals. The hospital stabilized her condition but can't heal her. The least she needs is rest and your respect of that."

"It's fine," Yuubari said, "I'll talk."

"But-"

"Thank you for your concern," Yuubari said, "but if I can't help on the frontlines, the least I can do is to support from the rear."

Kadawa sighs in defeat, "Okay, but make it quick."

He hands the phone to Yuubari.

"Admiral Yoshimura?" she asked tentatively.

"Ah, Yuubari," Yoshimura is pleased to hear her voice, "come on Sima, now it is the time to talk."

Some sounds were heard on the other side of the phone before a foreign voice sounded in her ears, "Yuubari?"

"You don't happen to be that Pilot Officer we found on Shikotan Island," asked Yuubari, "right?"

"Wrong," the voice said, "I am."

"Ah, the Madman," Yuubari laughed, "well, what do you want from me?"

* * *

Sima glares at the Japanese, "Alright, which one of you was responsible for passing my reputation on?"

"You," Zhao said, "after that thing you did in Australia. And the UK. Now you are being spoken of in Russia as well, thanks to that Zria chick. She's pretty hot."

"Fuck," Sima swore, "now the expectations on me are higher."

"Hello?" said Yuubari on the other side of the phone."

"Ah, sorry," Sima said, "I want to know about shipgirls. Especially the relationship between the rigging and the shipgirl and the relationship between the rigging and your previous incarnation."

Yuubari sighs on the phone and paused for a while.

"It will take a long time," Yuubari said, "and I would prefer to use a classroom."

* * *

Yuubari waited for the response. When the response came, it wasn't one she expected. Snort before laughs. Yuubari blushed.

"Very well," the voice said, "Professor Yuubari, I'll see what I can do. I can request a teleconference from Squadron Leader Zhang."

* * *

Yang Tian sat in his office. He is absolutely furious. Abyssals attacked the Bastion and the Citadel today. Once again, the Citadel and conventional Chinese military forces did most of the work. Although Kaga took out a few smaller ships, it was the drones, fighters and strike aircraft of the PLAAF that really fought the hardest.

Tianjin was hit harder. The Bastion has been rendered nonoperational and the forces there have been annihilated. The shipgirls that Japan bragged to the world about ran away with their tail between their legs. Even the legendary Akagi couldn't stand against the Abyssals and retreated. Thanks to their failure, hundreds are dead, injured or missing. The silver lining would be that the Communist Party would see the worthless bitches as they are and redirect funding to the New Navy.

"How is the New Navy going?" he asked his secretary.

The man shook his head, "We are not making much progress."

"Why?" asked Yang, "We already have operational lasers and particle beam weapons. Is it that hard to put them on a ship? We still have destroyers and littoral combat ships which survived."

"Sir," the secretary said, "the anti-satellite weapons are the size of large optical telescopes used in astronomy. Placing them on ships is difficult. Furthermore, the particle beams weapons are troublesome. The barrel of the weapons must be kept in a vacuum, so the muzzle must stop air coming in but let the particles out. With our large weapons, we have advanced filters. But shrinking them down to be placed in a ship turret? We are at best years from that."

"Shit," Yang Tian swore.

"And that is not all," the secretary said, "lasers are reported to be very ineffective against the energy barriers of the large Abyssals. They absorb the laser and refract it within their structure. The energy is rapidly dissipated over the entire barrier."

"What can we do?" asked Yang Tian.

"Hope that we can equip modern weapons on shipgirls," the secretary replied, "or develop sensors that can track Abyssals."

Yang Tian growled. It seems those Japs are going to stay in China for a while and he didn't like it.


	7. First and Last Day Off

**Did you know there is now a Central Princess with 900hp? Now you do. It also appears that the shipgirls will be attacking the Californian coastline. Don't know what to make of that. Has the US been taken over by Abyssals or did the Japanese just want to slap America in the face?**

* * *

 **First and Last Day Off**

The Kongou class girls arrived at night, bringing with them lots of Instant Repair Buckets. Kongou and Hiei arrived at Chongming Air Base at 18:30. Superficially, they are adult women wearing modified Miko outfits. The difference is that one has long, brown hair bunched into two braided buns and wears a black skirt. The other has short side swept brown hair and a green skirt.

"Use these until your base is finished desu," Kongou said, "which I heard won't take too long. You Chinese have a knack for building things faster than designers can design."

As Zhao and a few soldiers carried off the buckets, Kongou slunk up to Sima, who happened to pass by, and asked, "Hey, Chinaman, you know about the Russian ship?"

"You mean Kirov?" questioned Sima, before adding for good measure, "and that is Pilot Officer to you, by the way."

"Why of course," Kongou crossed her arms, "who else?"

"Okay, whatever," Sima said, "yes, what about him?"

"What do you know about him?" Kongou leans in with a smile.

"Um," Sima takes a step back, "I know this is Russian and is much better than Yat Sen in terms of speed, firepower and probably armor. Actually, make it certainly armor."

* * *

Yat Sen sneezed in the showers as she poured the green liquid of the Instant Repair Bucket over herself.

"You okay?" asked Tenryuu.

"Yeah," Yat Sen said, "the liquid is kinda chilly."

"A real lady-" Akatsuki began.

"Shut up!" Tenryuu shouted.

* * *

"Pooh," Kongou pouted and crossed her arms, "that's not what I meant."

"Yeah?" asked Sima, amused, "then what do you mean?"

"Do you have his contact details?" asked Kongou, taking a step closer, "His phone number? Email address? Social media?"

 _Oh fuck,_ Sima thought, _we have someone who is a little obsessive._

"Umm," he replied, "no?"

"What about photos of him?" Kongou takes another step forward, forcing Sima to the wall, "Do you have those?"

"Hell no," Sima exclaimed, pushing back Kongou by her forehead, "why do you want them?"

"Because every time I think of him," Kongou takes a step back and inhales, "I feel…"

Pink glowing hearts appeared in her pupil and her blood vessels bulged against her skin. A powerful pink aura blazed around her.

"Buuuuuurniiiiiiiiiing LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!"

Her shouted echoed through the hallways of Chongming Air Base. People were startled, windows rattled. Even the lights and nearby electronics went haywire, probably caused by the sudden surge of energy which burst from the radar on Kongou's headset. Sima's old glasses, which he used while his replacement for the broken ones come in, shattered.

"Do you understand?" Kongou asked when she calmed down.

The Pilot Officer is slumped against the wall, struggling to maintain his conscious.

"Did you hear me?" Kongou pressed on with her question.

"I probably wouldn't be able to hear anymore," Sima growled, "shit, I don't know who your boss is but I feel sorry for him. Damn, this is my second pair of glasses."

The sound of sniffling reached their ears. Turning to face the source, both Sima and Kongou saw Hiei getting all teary eyed. The ship girl sobbed and wiped away her tears.

"Onee-sama," she cried, "please don't forget about me if you get with that ship."

"Aww," Kongou said, her burning passion gone without a trace, "don't worry, Hiei, I won't forget about you. You are my dear sister after all."

The two fast battleships embrace each other.

 _What! The! Fuck!_ Sima sweatdropped as his brain went into overdrive to figure out what his eyes are seeing. It didn't take long for him to give up.

"Freeze!" a voice shouted.

Looking around, the trio discover that they have been surrounded by soldiers and marines pointing various weapons at them.

"It's okay," Sima said, "these two got a little over excited. That's all."

Yat Sen and the Japanese shipgirls pushed past the soldiers.

"Yep," Tenryuu said, "I knew it. Kongou has arrived."

"Is she always like this?" asked Yat Sen.

"She has a reputation of doing this," Kaga replied, "but the Kongou-class are powerful combatants."

It took a while and some rank pulling to convince the soldiers and marines to leave, but in the end they scattered and went back to wherever they were before.

"Shit," Sima said, "I forgot to ask Squadron Leader Zhang about the teleconference."

"Anyway," Zhao said, "I was ordered to take all of you out to Shanghai today. It's 6:38pm, but we are able to look around the city centre. Maybe even get dinner."

"Be careful of where you eat," Sima warned, "the news said that anti-shipgirl sentiment within the defence force has been increasing since the crushing defeat at Tianjin. Yang Tian ordered a massive mobilisation of conventional forces to the Bohai Gulf and declared that conventional forces would do better. The last thing we want is you girls to rack up a huge bill at some fancy restaurant."

"And make sure Shimakaze is kept away from sugary or caffeinated drinks," Tenryuu said, "or who knows what might happen."

"What about you?" asked Yat Sen.

"The Pilot Officer and I will be staying back here," Yoshimura said, "we will be meeting with Yuubari over the internet to talk about shipgirls."

"The relationship between the rigging and the shipgirl," Sima said, "and the relationship between the rigging and your previous incarnation. I think they will be the key to any attempts in upgrading."

Now Yat Sen really faced a dilemma. So far, she has been stationed in Chongming Air Base and only went out to fight. She really wanted to see what a modern Chinese city looked like. But she also wanted to stay with Sima to talk with Yuubari, if only to understand her own origins better.

"Let's go," Zhao said as he headed out, "I have a city to show you."

The Japanese shipgirls followed the Officer Cadet immediately, but Yat Sen lingered for a bit looking back and forth between Sima and the retreating form of the shipgirls. The dilemma was real. The Chinese Pilot Officer didn't seem to notice that she was torn between the two, seeing that he just walked in the opposite direction, heading to who knows where.

The Japanese Admiral took in the interaction between human and ship. Such behaviour from shipgirls is nothing new to him. Yoshimura smirked knowingly before following the Pilot Officer. Yat Sen prepared to follow the two when Kongou's voice called to her.

"Hey, Yat Sen, come with us."

"Huh?" blurted Yat Sen as she looked to the Japanese battleship.

"Yeah," Ikazuchi said, "we will be going into a big city! Don't you want to?"

"Almost a century has passed since our time, well, more than a century for some of us," Tenryuu said, "so you sure you don't want to come with us?"

Yat Sen took one last look in the direction Yoshimura and Sima were. They are both gone and it would be impossible for her to find them. Sighing in defeat, Yat Sen said, "I'm coming."

* * *

An old Z-18 helicopter touches down on an empty area of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. Although a civilian airport, most of the aircraft which operate here are military aircraft. International travel between countries dwindled after the Human Abyssal War, as did the population of Shanghai. Furthermore, Pudong airport is right next to the sea. Even with the Citadel and two military airfields nearby, few would use this airport, preferring to use other ones nearby.

Almost as soon as the helicopter landed, military ground crew swarm the aircraft. By the time Zhao and the shipgirls disembark, refuelling of the aircraft has already begun and a truck carrying components of railguns stopped nearby. The parts waiting to be air lifted to one of the many islands in Hangzhou Bay.

"Come on, girls," Zhao said, "we have a train to catch."

The train is the Shanghai maglev line. In 2021, it was extended to run into the city centre instead of stopping at Longyang Road. Operating at 430km/h, it is the fastest train in China. There were plans to extend it further into Hangzhou and Beijing, but conventional high speed trains were used instead.

The shipgirls were awestruck by the sight of Shanghai's central business district. A far cry to the ruins of many coastal cities, Shanghai is a flourishing metropolis. After the Second Cultural Revolution in 2025, when China became more open to the world, waves of change swept across the nation. Shanghai was the epicentre of the transformation. Skyscrapers reach into the sky, the tallest in excess of a kilometre. Bridges towered over them, built to ease the rush hour traffic that would paralyse the city by going the same course as the roads below.

"Come on," Zhao said, "tonight will probably be the last night in a long time where you get to wind down and have some fun."

* * *

Officer Cadet Zhao spent the evening showing the girls around Shanghai, though they obviously didn't get to see much of it. Because walking won't get you far in that city. Even though they had snacks at various small places, the food bill still hit a five digit number. Fortunately, paparazzi and fans of the shipgirls paid, in return for selfies and autographs. Surprisingly, Yat Sen was the most popular, given her unpopular status among the government. Eventually, Zhao sent the girls to the hotel which offered them rooms for one night.

As Yat Sen entered her room, he picked up on a conversation between Zhao and another person on the phone. She peeks around the

"So, sir," he said, "how was the talk with Yuubari?"

He paused for a bit before saying, "Huh, too expensive to explain over the phone? Is the explanation that long?"

He paused again, "Okay, fuck it. I ain't training to be an engineer. Don't go pulling all that dimensional energy mumbo jumbo bullshit on me. I'm tired enough as I am and engineering ain't my forte."

He then lowered his voice, "Hey, how was Yuubari, eh?"

Another pause, "Pfft, that was not what I meant. I meant what you think of her as a girl."

"Oh, don't pull that fraternization card on me. I'm just asking…pfft, he hung up on me."


	8. Nature of Shipgirls

**The Nature of Shipgirls**

The next morning, the shipgirls woke up and moved out of their rooms. They move to the dining area of the hotel. Although they were hungry, they won't be eating out the hotel because they didn't use their rigging last night.

"That was a good sleep desu," Kongou stretched, "do we get today off as well?"

"Nope," Zhao said, "we're going back to Chongming."

"What?" Kongou spluttered in English before reverting back to Japanese, "I thought you said the base would be finished tonight."

"Ah yes," Zhao smiled as he clapped his hands together, "but that was assuming the construction team took breaks. Which they didn't. Different construction teams came in throughout the night and completed the base. It is fully operational, with a shipyard, docks, dormitories, a factory and a shit ton of other cool stuff. The construction team has moved on to build a similar base at Lüshunkou. That place housed a heavily fortified naval base in the Qing dynasty. A base there will allows us to intercept Abyssals entering the Bohai Gulf. Two airports are also nearby, which can be converted to military airfields."

"How big is the base?" asked Akatsuki.

"The size of the Shikotan one," Zhao said, "the freak called me this morning and told me. We aren't having breakfast here either. I don't recall any of you taking stuff here, so we should be ready to return to the base."

"How is Tianjin handling the damage?" asked Yat Sen worriedly.

"Well, Tianjin is doing fine," Zhao replied, "as the damage was concentrated in the Binhai area. However, we have been told to abandon the Bastion."

"So the pride of the Chinese engineers has fallen?" asked Kaga, "Is Tianjin going to be abandoned as well?"

"You wish, Kaga," Zhao snapped, "we are moving the Bastion forward. The Fortress and Aegis will be dismantled and have their weapons moved to Weihaiwei, Lüshunkou and the islands in the mouth of the Bohai Bay."

 _And now for breaking news,_ a voice said.

Zhao turned to face the TV, where a news reporter delivered the news of the day.

 _Details emerged that the Chinese Defense Force will be moving its defenses forward to the mouth of the Bohai Gulf. Weapons from the Bastion, Aegis and Fortress will be dismantled and rebuilt at the new frontline._

The screen changed to a scene to a shot from a helicopter, showing a view of warships cruising down a river. The flotilla is led by a ship that resembled the Type 055 in Shanghai, only larger. The difference is that the bridge is moved back and the deck angled down to the bow. Small missile boats with wave-piercing catamaran hulls follow it. Various military aircraft fly over them, ranging from transports to gunships.

 _Surviving warships stored in the Yellow River have been reactivated and will be participating in the defense of the Bohai Bay until the fortifications have been successfully moved forward. Airports on the Liaodong Peninsula are going to be rebuilt for military purposes. Construction teams are moving in._

"Let's go," Zhao said, "we have to return to Chongming."

* * *

Pilot Officer Sima sat at a table in a large room. He stared intensely at an open notebook covered in drawings and scribbles. Dark patches can be seen under his bloodshot eyes. Notebooks covered the desk and empty automatic pencil lead containers scattered on the ground like spent cartridges. Some of pieces of crumpled up paper are also scattered on the table and the ground under him. He lets out a growl of frustration as he bashes his head on the table.

"Is he okay?" asked an army officer.

"Yeah," replied an air force officer, "he is. You don't know him? He is the legendary…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT MY REPUTATION!" Sima roared.

"He is really pissed off," the army officer said.

"Leave him be," the air force guy remarked, "I think he stayed here for the whole night or something."

Meanwhile, Sima thinks back the stuff that Yuubari told him over the internet. It was some really weird shit that defied his knowledge of physics. In fact, no scientist in the East or West has managed to completely understand what happened. Perhaps if he pulled some strings and get some of his friends in Strategic Support Force to do some cyber espionage, he may be able to get into classified files which may contain more information. No, if the shipgirls themselves are not that sure, than nobody would know.

In fact, Yuubari said that he should have a decent idea. He witnessed the advent of a Primal, after all. But what can he understand through watching something that defy the laws of physics once with no supporting data? Furthermore, he is an engineer, not a theoretical physicist. This is beyond his understanding.

Sima made some progress in understanding shipgirls, however. He went back over what he had learnt throughout the night.

The air force engineer was told that the shipgirls are built in shipyards in a similar manner in which Kirov was born. Materials steel, fuel, ammunition and bauxite are placed in the room. The materials are converted into the basic building block of shipgirls, taking the form of a luminous, nebulous gas cloud. After naming the cloud "Kanmusu Matter", Sima then moved onto the next step.

How did the Kanmusu particles come to be? Back in the waters near Shikotan Island, the remains of the Russian fishing ships just levitated up and were pulled into a point. The Kanmusu Matter cloud came into existence and expanded as more remains of the ships entered it. Then the cloud itself compressed into a singularity while Kirov materialized. The process of a building a ship is very similar, except taking anywhere between fifteen minutes and a day to complete was opposed to the seconds it takes for a Primal to appear. But what is the nature of Kanmusu Matter?

According to Yuubari, the amount of materials that went into the construction of shipgirls is roughly the same as the amount that went into the construction of the real historical ships. So shipgirls really are made of thousands of tons of metal, despite the biological nature of their human compartments. Somehow, they also appear to be human size if one does not take the rigging into account. But those shipgirls obviously don't weigh that much. In fact, Yat Sen's rigging weighed no more than a few dozen kilos.

So it appears that the volume of the metal was shrunk without increasing the density. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, so it must have been converted into some sort of energy via the formula of . It probably lies within the rigging like electricity in a battery. Obviously it isn't thermal energy, or the whole planet would be burning from all the shipgirls. Not knowing what it could be, Sima moves to the next question.

Why is there such a large difference between the time it takes for a Primal to be born and a Regular to be built? What caused the process to be sped up so much in Primals or to be slowed down so much in Regulars? Furthermore, Sima did some research on the cruiser Kirov. He is a cruiser almost 200 metres long and had a standard displacement of 7890 tonnes. There is absolutely no way that a bunch of fishing boats could produce that much material. So what made up the difference?

Rubbing his burning eyes, Sima exhaled heavily as he leaned back in his seat. He has assigned shipgirl magic to aspects, but magic is just science that is not understood. He isn't going to be like the Japanese and Western scientists who gave up after calling it magic.

Oh no.

The Madman of Shenyang University of Technology doesn't just give up. He merely changes his angle of attack.

"You still here?" asked a male voice

Turning around, Sima saw Yoshimura standing at the door, watching him.

"Yeah," Sima nodded, "I have figured out a few things, but I am still a long way from understanding shipgirls properly."

"You still haven't given up?" Yoshimura asked, surprised, "Japan gave up in 2030 and the West in 2033. Their combined brainpower couldn't come up with an explanation. Not even the shipgirls or fairies themselves are certain of their own origins. Yet you think you can do this?"

"We have conquered the impossible in the past so many times that I won't bother giving you examples," Sima replied, "and we will in the future."

* * *

Yang Tian watched the airfield from the control tower of the Lüshunkou military airfield. Tanks, ranging from the old Type 96 and Type 99 to the newer Type 100s, roll out from the Y-20 transport aircraft.

"How is the naval mobilization going?" asked Yang Tian.

"Five Type 022 missile boats and Type 058 destroyer have entered the Bohai Sea," his secretary said, "a Type 060 frigate is coming down from further up the Yellow river. The Type 055 destroyer from Shanghai is moving up the Grand Canal. It will arrive within a day."

"The Air Force?" asked Yang.

"Neither airfield have the ability to operate drones," the secretary replied, "and are currently incapable of effectively supporting aircraft. The facilities need to be reactivated and that will take a day. We are capable of operating J-40 and J-44 fighters from the airfield. Transports and gunships with VTOL capabilities are also able to operate from both airfields."

"Army?" asked Yang Tian.

"As you can see," the secretary beckoned at the runway, "we have the newest Type 100 main battle tanks and the older Type 96 and Type 99s. We are also bringing Multiple Launch Missile Systems, Mobile Laser Platforms and self-propelled artillery to the Liaodong Peninsula. Ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are also primed to fire into the bay. Hair trigger sensitivity, ready to fire on demand. Thermobaric and nuclear warheads equipped."

"Good," Yang Tian smirked, "and construction of the fortifications?"

The secretary sighs, "Construction materials of blast proof concrete, boron and shear hardening fluid treated Kevlar can be delivered by today and the railguns themselves are already here. We are extending the superconducting cables from the nuclear reactors to the fortifications on Lüshunkou, Weihaiwei and the islands of Bohai Gulf as we speak. Construction and the attaining of operational status will be finished within two days."

"Excellent," Yang Tian nodded, "they will be formidable to any Abyssal that comes. Even if the fleet that flattened the Bastion arrived, they won't do shit. Just wait until we can shrink particle cannons. Surely Abyssal barriers can't stop that. Then the Paramount Leader will surely see that…we don't need the Japs or any bits of scrap metal of Chinese shipgirls."


	9. Dishui Base

**Dishui Base**

The shipgirls and Zhao were transported back towards the sea, this time via Z-25. The base has been placed at the easternmost region of Shanghai, on a square structure reaching in the man-made Dishui Lake, connected to the edge of the lake by two bridges. The Shanghai Lingang New Town Expo Center stood nearby, also rebuilt.

After dropping them off next to a building, the jet headed back to a military base. The area is crowded with people. Looking around, Yat Sen could see the Paramount Leader, Zhou Yi, and the National Defense Minister, Ouyang Kemeng, escorted by the Presidential Guard. Many marines, army soldiers and various military officers are also present. They are tasked with holding back the civilians and journalists.

"We sure are popular, desu," Kongou said as she waved at the shipgirl fans, "we won't let them down."

"I wonder where the base is," Akatsuki said, "they said similar to the Shikotan base in size."

A hand tapped Yat Sen on her back.

"Huh?" she said as she turned around.

She was greeted by the sight of a grinning zombie with pale skin, bloodshot eyes with dark bags under them and a scary smile. Yat Sen screamed and slugged it in the face. The man was knocked a metre back. He didn't move after hitting the ground.

"Wait a minute," Tenryuu said, "isn't that…the Pilot Officer?"

"Ah, this is not good," Zhao facepalmed, "in front of the media and our leaders."

"Pilot Officer," Yoshimura pulls him off the ground, "you okay?"

"Shit," Sima swore, "this is the second time."

He adjusted his glasses, "At least these didn't break."

"What was that about?" asked Zhou Yi.

"I thought he was a Jiangshi," Yat Sen muttered, "with the pale skin, bloodshot eyes and all."

"I think my jaw is dislocated," Sima said, "nope, just bruised."

"You do realize that you are on every television set in China, right?" asked Ouyang, "don't trash the name of Chinese shipgirls."

"Yes sir," Yat Sen bowed slightly, "I am sorry. But why does he look like that?"

"He stayed up the whole night," Yoshimura explained, "trying to understand shipgirl magic in a scientific way."

"How did he go?" asked Kaga skeptically.

"He claims he understands a few more things," Yoshimura replied, "and he said he won't be giving up."

"That's cool, desu," Kongou laughed, "people like that are awesome."

"Where is the base?" asked Zhao.

The Paramount Leader pointed at the structure behind them. Turning around, the shipgirls look at the large building behind them. The large structure is two stories tall, about the same size as a small apartment block. The building is quite bland.

"Eh?" Akatsuki said, "But Zhao said the size of the Shikotan Base."

"Yeah," Zhao said, "Sima told me this."

"The land area is the same," Sima shrugged, "and isn't that what I said?"

"Now that you mentioned it," Tenryuu nodded, "the land occupied is of the same area, but…"

"We have human staff here," Sima said, "from all branches of the military. They have to be accommodated too, you know."

"Supporting shipgirls with conventional forces," Yoshimura said, "nobody does that anymore."

"We won't be fighting on our own," Yat Sen said, "because that is not the way we do things here in China."

"What are we doing now?" asked Zhao.

"We will have a tour of the facilities," said Sima, "with the media and the political leaders."

* * *

The shipgirls, officers, politicians and the journalists walk through the front door, entering a massive lobby. The lobby itself has a very high ceiling, separating the upper floor. A large staircase allowed passage to the upper floor. For a military installation which was built in the space of one day and night, it is large and extravagant. The floor is marble, as are the pillars which supported the ceiling from the lobby.

They are greeted by a young woman wearing a linen shirt and trousers covered with a lab coat, accompanied by several fairies. Although she did not appear to be older than eighteen, she seemed to be an important figure. Her pretty face was all smiles until she saw the Pilot Officer. Neither the younger shipgirls nor the ditzy ones noticed the contempt which briefly flashed across the woman's eyes. But Sima and Yoshimura did. As did Tenryuu and Kaga.

"Welcome to the Dishui Naval Base," she announced, "I am Professor Liang Baoyu and I will be leading you on the tour."

"Who is she?" asked Yoshimura.

"Professor Liang Baoyu," Sima replied, "a theoretical physicist who has a few science degrees from different universities under her belt. The cover girl for female intellectuals and feminism in China. Not bad for someone who is twenty seven."

"She's twenty seven?" Tenryuu asked.

"She looks seventeen," Kaga remarked.

"Probably the make up!" Zhao laughed obnoxiously, "That and maybe Korean cosmetic surgery. She probably doesn't understand Japanese so-"

"I speak five languages," Liang interrupted sharply, "and Japanese happens to be one of them. So watch your mouth, you manimal."

She turns back to the political leaders, who didn't understand the heated exchange, and smiles again, "Shall we begin?"

"I thought Sima was a jerk," Tenryuu muttered as they followed Liang, "but this girl takes it to a new level. Though the Officer Cadet did start this."

The cruiser turns to Kaga, "What do you reckon?"

Kaga thought for a few seconds before simply saying, "She is a Christmas cake."

Tenryuu, Yoshimura and Zhao snorted and tried to suppress their laughter while the younger shipgirls and Sima were perplexed.

"That's the sickest burn ever," Zhao said, "and I have seen my fair share of them."

"Pay attention to me," Liang warned, "this tour is important."

"What is the matter?" asked Zhou, not understanding the Japanese exchange.

"Ah, nothing, sir," Liang said, "let's go."

"Hurry up," a Presidential Guard said, his voice robotic due to the speakers, "the Paramount Leader also has to visit the new cities built inland."

"Okay," Liang said, "the most important part of the building, the Commanding Room."

The crowd follows the professor as she headed to a door to the left. Opening the door, she herds the people in before entering herself. The room has rows of computer terminals, some of them with up to five monitors. A massive holographic table stands at the opposite end of the room. It projected a three dimensional map of the waters east of Shanghai, which provided light in the dark room.

"This is the Command Room," Liang said, "and as the name suggests, it is where shipgirl operations are coordinated. The commander of the shipgirls can monitor the shipgirls from here and give them orders. These terminals are not activated yet, but they will play part in the operations."

"What are these?" asked Yat Sen.

"Not sure," Sima replied, "but some of them look like drone control terminals."

"Drones?" asked Yat Sen.

"Aircraft with no pilots," Sima said, "we control them from the ground. You saw them attack the Re-class battlegroup."

"This is advanced stuff," Yoshimura said, "it reminds me of the headquarters of Yokosuka."

"Next, the factory," Liang said, "where the ships are built and upgraded."

The crowd leave the control room and follow the professor to the other side of the building. Opening the door, Liang reveals a massive room. The first thing that caught their attention is a large tray like depression at the centre. A series of indentations surrounding a yin-yang symbol. Pipes led drained into the indentation. At three sides of the rooms, massive vaults of metal lined the walls.

"What is this?" asked Akatsuki as she looked over the setup.

"A ba gua," Tenryuu said, "but what for?"

"Simple," Yoshimura replied, "the shipyards don't just build the shipgirls body. They need the soul of the ship. In Japanese shipyards, a Torii is used to beckon the spirit to this world. I imagine the ba gua, a similarly important symbol in Chinese mythology, does the same."

Sima cast a glance to the Japanese, taking a mental note of what they said.

"Well then, Mr. Defense Minister," Liang said as she pointed to a control panel in front of the depression, "shall we construct our first ship?"

"How?" asked Ouyang.

"Shipgirls are made of four substances," Liang replied, "steel, fuel, ammunition and bauxite. You can allocate the resources to ship building. More resources means the chances of getting a big warship increases. But it isn't absolute. You can put in 2000 of each resource and only get a destroyer."

"Like an RPG game," Ouyang said, "right?"

"Yes," Liang said, "but I advise a small number because the Chinese didn't get any large ships until more recently. Fifty of each is what I suggest. That is the amount given for construction of destroyers."

"Well then," Ouyang said before asking Zhou, "fifty of each?"

"Fifty of each," Zhou nodded, "the Chinese only had antiquated protected cruisers in the era where shipgirls come from. No point putting in more."

"Fifty of each it is," Liang smiled, tapping the control panel several times, "now we have to go outside. When the shipgirls soul comes in from which ever dimension, we get large amounts of radiation. The nature of which is not known, despite research by Western scientists."

After everyone evacuated from the rooms, the layers of sliding metal doors shut.

"That is a lot of layers," Sima remarked.

"Don't want any radiation escaping," Liang said, "the Westerners and the Japanese do not bother with such precautions, but we Chinese are not keen on the chance of developing cancer."

"Has cancer been observed in the other nations?" asked Zhao.

"No," Liang shook her head, "but we aren't risking it."

Once again, Sima made a mental note for further research. He wondered whether this was within his field of expertise. After all, scientists were the ones who researched and engineers used their knowledge. A count down timer above the door flashed to life, indicating zero hours and eleven minutes.

"Only nine minutes?" Tenryuu said, "How small could the ship be?"

"Smaller than Mutsuki," Yoshimura said, "but China had a lot of vessels like that."

Zhou reached into his pocket and pulled out his ringing phone. He smirks before answering it.

"Hello, Yang Tian," he said, "pity you weren't here…"

Pilot Officer Sima tensed up visibly at the mention of the name. What does the man want?

"What?" the Paramount Leader exclaimed, paling, "Land based bipedal Abyssals? All over Lüshunkou? Pushing back the army?"

"What is going on?" asked Kaga, "What did your leader hear?"

"Hey Kaga," Sima asked, "have you heard of Abyssals moving onto land?"

"We know of Princesses based on land installations," Kaga replied, "and small Abyssals based on shore-based guns."

"Yeah," Ikazuchi said, "the artillery imps also count. But they hang in shallow water. No records of them moving inland."

"Ah, great," Zhao said, throwing up his hands, "we are making history. Land Abyssals are on the Liaodong Peninsula, staging a land invasion for the first time in the war."


	10. Battle of Lushunkou

**Battle of** **Lüshunkou**

"Fire!"

A loud boom echoed through the forest that covered the south of the Liaodong Peninsula, comprising the Laotieshan Natural Reserve, briefly cutting through the sound of continuous automatic gunfire. A Type 100 tank, accompanied by two Type 99s and a platoon of soldiers, fired its main gun. The soldiers, a mix of army troopers and marines, fire through the trees with assault rifles and light machine guns, supplemented by the heavy machines guns of the tanks.

Several strange creatures bound at them through the trees. They appeared to be cybernetic zombies with the legs and waist of a human but the upper body in the shape of an antiquated artillery piece.

"Kill it!" a soldier shouted, "Concentrate fire!"

One of the creatures crouch slightly and fires its cannon. The shell explodes against the left Type 99. The 54 ton tanks gets pushed a metre back and explosion rips the turret clean off the tank. The right Type 99 turns and fires its cannon. The APFSDS round sliced through the Abyssal with little resistance, bisecting it through the centre. Abyssal creature explodes.

More of the strange Abyssals jump out of the forest, charging at the soldiers.

"Fuck!" commander of the Type 100 cursed, "There's too many of the bastards!"

The tank fires again, taking down another Abyssal. But more charge out of the forest. Being in an undead state, the Abyssals can soak up a huge amount of damage before succumbing to gunfire.

"Fall back," the commander in the tank ordered, "we're abandoning the reserve! Fighters are going to hit this area hard!"

The three tanks reverse, heading back the way they came, followed by the soldiers. The tanks fire smoke grenades into the forest as they retreat, forming a smoke screen. The white phosphorous smoke throws up a screen that not only hides the tanks from visual contact, but from infrared sensors as well. Confused screeches of the Abyssal could be heard.

A flight of six J-40 fighters fly low over the water, afterburners screaming.

"Approaching the target area," the pilot of the lead fighter said, "weapons free."

The six delta winged fighters pull up as they approach the mountain. Their internal weapon bays open, revealing nasty looking 1000lb bombs.

* * *

The sound of the jet's engines sounded in the ears of the soldiers.

"You hear that?" exclaimed a soldier, "We're out of here!"

"Jet's inbound!" shouted a marine, "Let's move."

No sooner than they left the vicinity did the bombs come down fast and hard. The warheads exploded above the ground, creating a cloud of metal powder while trailing more to the ground. The glittering silver particles cloud expanded and descended towards the ground slowly.

"Thermobaric weapons!" the commander of the platoon ordered, "Everybody DOWN!"

The infantry immediately dive to the ground. As soon as they hit the deck, the clouds of the particles are ignited. They turn into fireballs the height of five storey buildings, engulfing everything nearby. Trees are uprooted and blown skywards. Even from a hundred metres away, the tanks are jolted by the concussion shockwave. Burning wood showered the area. A few of the Abyssal biped staggered out of the burning forest before collapsing, the more determined ones dying after getting hit by small arms fire.

"Yeah!" the soldiers cheered, "That must have finished them off."

"We're retreating back to the airfield," the commander of the Type 100 said, "hop on boys."

The soldiers jump on top of the tanks, preparing to depart of the airport further inland. As a marine climbed aboard the Type 100, he suddenly turned back.

"What's the matter?" asked the spec ops.

"I saw something move," the marine said, raising his assault rifle.

Indeed, a huge shadowy form shifted among the smoke cloud. All the soldiers jump off the tanks and point their weapons at the shadow. The tank's gunners also aim at the shadow. As the figure stepped out, it was revealed to be a young woman dressed in tattered remains of a loose fitting traditional outfit, though the era and style is unconfirmed. What is confirmed is that the woman is an Abyssal, judging by her white skin and hair and her glowing red eyes. That and her arms are encased in massive gauntlets with cannons mounted on them. Smaller cannons protrude from shoulder and waist mounts.

She looked pissed off, hardly surprising as she just withstood bombardment by Chinese air force jets.

"Such impertinence," she hissed in Chinese, a strange echoing quality in her voice.

"What are you waiting for!" the marine said, "FIRE!"

The tanks and the soldiers open fire. Explosions splashed off a red energy barrier and the bullets bounced. The princess barely flinched as she weathered the damage. Pointing her guns at the Type-100, she opened fire. Even though the tank has advanced reactive armor, multiple direct hits from artillery at near point blank range was more than enough to reduce it into a smouldering heap of scrap metal. The explosions knock several nearby soldiers off their feet.

The remaining combatants continue firing at the new Abyssal, but their weapons seem to have no effect. A burst of gunfire from the Abyssals secondary battery takes out the second Type 099 and a few other soldiers.

"We're getting hammered by an Abyssal woman!" the spec ops soldier shouted, "Need immediate reinforcements at our location!"

The commander of the turretless Type 99 sighed.

"Driver," he said, "aim for the Abyssal and hit the gas. We'll crush that bitch under our tracks. Or hold her off long enough for the troops to get away."

"Yes sir," the driver nodded as he pushes the accelerator.

With its turret gone, the tank is light and faster. It lurched forward before quickly slamming into the Abyssal. The Abyssal hissed as her energy barrier shimmered and flared under the renewed attack. The tank continued to push, but the Abyssal is pushing back against the 1400 horsepower engine.

"Now go!" the commander ordered the soldiers, "Fall back! We'll hold this bitch off for as long as we can!"

"Sorry sir," the spec op said, "we'll be leaving you behind. Let's go, men."

The soldiers turn back and run, leaving the tank crew to their fate.

* * *

The Japanese shipgirls are fight in the waters of Bohai Bay, off the coast of Lüshunkou. They were ambushed by a dozen PT imps. But unlike PT imps known to the Japanese, these are slow, sluggish and did not pose much of a threat. Even the Type 022 missile boats and the Type 058 destroyer sunk them easily, the former using rotary cannons and the latter using lasers. For the first time in history, conventional naval forces are winning against Abyssals, though they did have the help of shipgirls.

As the shipgirls dispatched the last of them, they turn to look at the Chinese ships. No damage sustained.

"That was the easiest fight I have ever had," Fubuki said, "those PT imps are so slow."

"Nothing like the ones we have seen before," Kirishima smirked, "those were fast and nasty. These were sitting ducks."

A flight of Chinese fighter jets speed over them, heading towards the high ground of Lüshunkou.

"What now?" asked Haruna.

"Sit here and wait for the Chinese to finish building their defences," Yuubari said, "it might take a few days though. This fight is nothing like our last one."

Sendai flinched at the comment before looking down at her feet.

"Oh," Yuubari said, "I am sorry. I-"

"It's okay," Sendai nods at her fellow light cruiser, "Naka died a heroic death. Jinstuu would be proud. As Tenryuu and Tatsuta kept on saying, it is our pride as shipgirls to fight and die, as long as the death was not in vain. But…so many Chinese died in that battle and many more were injured. We had to retreat too. Did we defend this stretch of water successfully? Naka's death was heroic, but was it in vain?"

Akagi hugged Sendai from behind, "Were it not for us, the casualties would have been much higher."

She smiles, "Don't worry, I bet Naka would come back soon. She holds the record for the ship which reappeared the most. HMAS Sydney even made a parody of an Australian song."

"Ah," Sendai said, cheering up slightly, "I know it. Instead of 'The cat came back', Syndey changed it to 'Naka came back'."

"Yeah," Kirishima said, "as the song went, 'But Naka came back, on the very next day'. Though last time, it took months."

"That kid," Haruna said, "one of the ships come back after been sunk repeatedly. It depends on how much that ship was loved throughout her existence as a ship and a shipgirl. Naka wasn't revered in the same way as Yamato as a ship. But as a shipgirl, people around the world loved her. And until that changes, she'll keep coming back."

Massive explosions distract them from their conversation. Turning to face the sound, the shipgirls are shocked by the sheer size of the fireballs that erupted from the hills. The fighters speed away, heading back to the military airfield near Tianjin.

"What was that about?" frowned Yuubari.

"Why are they bombing the hills?" asked Haruna.

"Don't tell me that there are Abyssals far inland," gulped Fubuki, "Abyssals never go on land, right?"

Akagi growled as she takes out an arrow and aims her bow. She releases her grip, launching an arrow. The arrow bursts into flames and transforms into a flight of dive bomber. Akagi wondered whether the pilots can target Abyssals through foliage, but at least she would know if there really are Abyssals on land. She must find out. The implications of land based Abyssals are serious. They already have the oceans under control and the shipgirls are having a hard time just holding the coastline. Should the Abyssals move onto land, they'd be beyond the reach of shipgirls.

"Come on," Kirishima said, steaming towards the Peninsula, "we gotta help. Even if Abyssals are on land, we can bombard them with our cannons."

Fubuki tilted her head and rested her hand on it, listening to what had to be an incoming radio message. She paled visibly after her arm dropped.

"What is it?" asked Yuubari, feeling the tension.

"Admiral Kadawa sent a message," Fubuki replied, her voice shaky, "Abyssals are spotted throughout the reserve and have either eliminated the Chinese scouting parties or forced them to retreat. Kadawa said based on the descriptions, they sounded like artillery imps."

"Okay," Akagi snorted as she launched another wave, "we can deal with those."

"Yeah," Haruna said, "come on, let's lend the army a hand."

"A-and," Fubuki said, "Kadawa said…"

"Come on," Sendai said, "spit it out."

What Fubuki said made all their blood run cold.

* * *

 **Ooh, more cliff hangers. Aren't you just loving those? Sorry for the highly irregular uploads, but some days I get ideas that flow into my head non-stop and other days I get full on writers block  
**


	11. Princess in the Hills

**Princess in the Hills**

"Come on," Sendai beckoned, "spit it out."

"There is a Princess," Fubuki said, "in the Laotieshan reserve."

The silence that engulfed them was deafening. It took a while for the shipgirls to react.

"You must be joking," Kirishima laughed nervously as she nudged her glasses, "I understand artillery imps being on land and installation type Princesses on uninhabited islands in the middle of the ocean. But this is China we are talking about. You are telling me there is a Princess level Abyssal running wild and smashing army units _kilometres_ inland?"

"Look!" Yuubari pointed at the Chinese ships.

The missile boats moved to face the mountain, in preparation for bombardment.

"Admiral," Akagi asked through her comms gear, "is it true? Is there really a Princess in the Hills?"

"I am not a hundred percent sure," Kadawa replied, "but the survivors described an Abyssal woman with metal gauntlets with single large caliber artillery pieces attached to them, supplemented by shoulder and waist mounted guns. The woman pulverized two tanks and slaughtered half a platoon of soldiers before the rest of the infantry escaped. She commanded the artillery imps. Sounds like a new Princess is born. I'm gonna call her Mountain Princess."

"Damn," Haruna said, "the Abyssals are really moving onto land. But our guns can't hit the area with the smoke. It's on the other side of Dalian."

* * *

"Shit!" Yang Tian shouted as he punched a pole in the airport, "Abyssal land units have appeared?"

"Yes sir," the secretary said, "scouts sent in reports of legged Abyssal artillery pieces. They overwhelmed the Japanese engineers and their Chinese escorts through sheer numbers. Armored and infantry units have either neutralized or forced to retreat. Not only that, a Princess-level Abyssal survived an attack by 1000lb aluminium powder bombs. She obliterated two main battle tanks. A third tank rammed her and held her down until it was destroyed by her Abyssal underlings."

Yang Tian clenched his fists. The situation is getting precarious. The Abyssals have claimed the seas for themselves and decimated shipping and coastal settlements. Now they are advancing onto land as well? This will not do!

"Hey you," he said to a soldier operating a battlefield communication array, "get me in contact with the destroyer."

* * *

The captain was reviewing the ship's status when he received an incoming call from the communications officer.

"Captain Kang of the destroyer _Lu Xun_ ," he said, "what do you require?"

"I want you to obliterate that mountain," Yang Tian ordered through the comms, "hit it with fifty missiles."

* * *

"Sir," the secretary said, shocked, "we still have soldiers and armored vehicles in the hills. We may hit-"

"I know," Yang Tian snapped, "I am not stupid. But the Abyssals are pushing them back towards our position."

"So you will sacrifice those soldiers for a bombardment just to save your ass," the soldier asked, "and a bombardment that may not even kill the Abyssals?"

"Shut up, fool!" Yang Tian shouted, "The military forces gathered here are all that is left standing between the Abyssals and population centers on the Liaodong Peninsula. We have millions of civilians further inland, wide open to attack. As the Chairman of the National Mobilization Committee, I have the responsibility to keep them safe. And if I wanted to be safe, I'd be gone by now!"

* * *

Captain Kang listened to the fierce exchange between the politician and the soldier.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Do it," Yang Tian ordered, "we either sacrifice a few dozen soldiers who probably won't even survive the Abyssal onslaught anyway, or allow a massacre of civilians at the hands of these new land Abyssals."

The captain gritted his teeth before ordering his crew, "Yes sir. Signal all the missiles boats, we are preparing to bombard the Abyssal infested region. Commence firing sequence, bombard Laotieshan."

"Kill track," sad the weapons officer, "target area selected. Transmitting data to missile boats."

"Target acquired," said the second officer, "missiles free."

The vertical launch system of the Type 058 destroyer open up and spew countless missiles into the sky. The cruise missiles arc towards the natural reserve. Type 022 missiles boats also launch their missiles, adding to the firepower.

* * *

"The Chinese have started their bombardment," Yuubari said, "look."

The Chinese cruise missiles speed through the air, passing Akagi's fairy piloted aircraft.

"There are still soldiers in that mountain," Haruna shouted, "and engineers too!"

* * *

The infantry which survived the encounter with the Mountain Princess sprint back towards the base. The edge of the forest can be seen, less than two hundred metres away. All they need to do is to make it to the Tieshan residential district. From there, they can engage the Abyssals in urban warfare, something the monsters are definitely not used to. Or call an evacuation by Z-25s.

The marine suddenly heard a sound that he is all too familiar with.

"Missiles incoming!" he shouted, "DOWN!"

All of the soldiers immediately dive to the ground. No sooner did they hit the ground did the missiles come crashing down.

"Fuck!" the spec ops soldier cursed, "I'm gonna kill the motherfucker that ordered this!"

It was like the end of the world as everything around them exploded. Burning wood, metal fragments and Abyssal body parts rain downed upon them.

"Boys," the marine said, "we gonna be crawling back."

The soldiers crawl towards the residential area, braving the furious naval bombardment.

"We're almost there!" the marine shouted, "keep going!"

* * *

"Sir," the soldier said, "the destroyer has fired off fifty missiles. We've basically flattened the natural reserve. Barely anything is left standing. Wait, the Japanese Admiral is calling."

"Answer it," Yang Tian said, "and tell him to make it quick."

The soldier hands Yang Tian the receiver.

"What?" he asked rudely in English.

"What the hell was that about?" a Japanese accented voice demanded, "Why did you bombard the mountain? We have a dozen Japanese engineers on that mountain evaluating the next spot to place a shipgirl base! Why did you kill them?"

"Kill them?" Yang Tian sneered, "By the time I gave that order, all Chinese military personnel and armored units have already been neutralized. Do you think your engineers would have outlived them? Any survivors would have been mopped up by the Abyssals anyway."

He lowered his voice, "Listen, Admiral, you may not give a shit that there are a few million Chinese civilians further inland, but I do. I must keep them safe! Losing a few dozen personnel can be counted as almost negligible losses in a war of global scale. Besides, those Abyssals were kilometres inland. What could your shipgirls do against them?"

"Akagi is a carrier type shipgirl," Kadawa retorted, "and even as we speak, she is sending waves of dive bombers to attack Abyssals on the mountain."

"What good are those little toys?" asked Yang.

"You'll see, you cold hearted son of a bitch," Kadawa threatened, "you will see."

Yang Tian snorted as he put down the phone.

* * *

Admiral Kadawa wasted no time in contacting his fleet.

"Akagi," he said, "the Chinese have bombard the land, but I'll wager that there will be surviving Abyssals. I want your air wings to annihilate all of them."

"I swear upon my honour as a part of Carrier Division 1," Akagi said, as she launched another wave of aircraft."

"I am…" Kadawa said before correcting himself, "no, millions of civilians are counting on you."

"Yes sir," Akagi replied, "we've got this."

As the carrier prepared to launch another wave, she received a message from her air wing. Indeed, Abyssals have moved onto land. These particular Abyssals did resemble Artillery Imps, but instead of having an upper body of an enclosed naval turret, they have upper bodies of old coastal artillery pieces. The design is antiquated, 19th century-ish. Their lower bodies are also well developed like adults. Somehow, they did not have anti air capabilities, apart from taking very inaccurate pot shot with their main cannons.

Under the fierce strafing and bombing of Akagi's aircraft, the Abyssals in the forest, already scattered, weakened and confused by the Chinese bombardment, quickly succumbed.

"The pilots are reporting great success," Akagi said, "the Abyssals have already been weakened. My bombers are mopping up the rest of them."

"Good job," Kadawa said, "continue with your operation."

* * *

After an intense assault by Akagi's aircraft, supported by Chinese gunships and fighters, Dalian was cleared of the land based Abyssals. Z-25 rapid insertion craft picked up Kadawa's shipgirls and transported them back to the temporary base.

"You have done well," Kadawa said to all of them, "defending the Chinese warships and eliminating all those PT imps without getting any damage. An S-class victory."

"A victory that can barely be considered a victory," Sendai smirked, "those PT imps were slow, weak and their torpedoes…"

She frowned, "Are not like Abyssal high speed torpedoes. They were really slow too."

"A weaker strain of Abyssals?" asked Kadawa before dismissing the question, "Regardless, extra praise to Akagi. Her air wing destroyed countless Abyssal artillery imps with no loss. True to the glory of CarDiv 1."

"What about the Mountain Princess?" asked Akagi, "My air wing landed many hits on her but had to turn back before they destroyed her."

"Chinese tanks finished her off," Kadawa said, "and thanks to you, the buildup of Bohai Gulf can continue. Drinks are on me tonight."

* * *

A while later, news reached the people at Dishui Naval Base. The shipgirls, officers and political leaders all breathe a sigh or relief.

"I knew Akagi would do it," Kaga said proudly, "as expected of the CarDiv 1."

"But don't you think it is surprising?" asked Tenryuu, "Abyssals running around wild, kilometres inland. We haven't heard about that before."

"Indeed," Yoshimura rubbed his chin, "this is definitely perplexing. Ships and installations can come back as Abyssals because they are essentially the grudge of hundreds or thousands of people who were killed. Land based artillery or armored vehicles only have a few operators. The grudge isn't enough to manifest as Abyssals."

"That is assuming these creatures of Lüshunkou are Abyssals," Sima cut in, "and not something else entirely."

"Ah, man," Zhao crossed his arms, "the Abyssals are bad enough. There better not be anything else threatening humanity."

Hibiki looked down and frowned.

"What's the matter?" asked Akatsuki.

"What about the shipgirl that the Chinese built?" the destroyer asked, looking up, "It is definitely more than nine minutes now."

"I don't think she is going to be happy about us forgetting about her," Yoshimura said, "I remember Admiral Kosikuso forgetting about a ship in construction. Murakumo was pissed off for a long time."


	12. Pretty Badass

**Pretty Badass**

The Chinese and Japanese gathered outside of the Factory, awaiting the arrival of the new ship.

"Sorry people," Liang said, "we were occupied with the news that Lüshunkou was under attack by Abyssal forces. With the assistance of Admiral Jun Kadawa's shipgirls, the Chinese military succeeded in sinking them. Now, for the unveiling of the next Chinese shipgirl."

All the cameras turned to the gates.

"I hope the shipgirl is in a good mood," Yoshimura crossed his arms.

The thick, multi-layer gates slide open. Everyone looks inside with anticipation. A very young girl, about seven years old, is leaning back against a vault, looking bored. Like Yat Sen, she is dressed in a cheongsam, except hers is longer and more conservative. Her's is from the Guangxu period as opposed to Yat Sen's, which is from the Republican period. Strangely, the girl wore a tailored jacket which seemed to be from 1890's England and armored knee high boots. Her brown hair flowed back freely. Given that the age a shipgirl resembled is approximately her length in metres divided by ten, it can be guessed that she is the returned form a ship 60-80 metres long.

"You boys sure took your time," she said standing up straight, "finally I am out."

"What did she say?" asked Yoshimura.

"You boys sure took your time," Yat Sen said, "finally I am out."

"And who may you be?" asked Ouyang.

The girl executes a swift salute, "Zhi Yuan."

"More details?" asked Zhou.

"Wait," Ouyang said, "you can't be that…"

The girl chuckled, "Elswick type protected cruiser Zhi Yuan. Laid down in England in 1885 and completed in 1886. Assigned to the Beiyang Fleet in 1888. Took part in the Battle of Yalu River in 1894. Right off the bat, I bombed the Japanese ship Saikyo Maru so hard she couldn't even be controlled. I was pretty badass in that fight and went out in a blaze of glory. Literally."

"So what?" Zhao said, "You are an obsolete protected cruiser. The other nations have ships far more advanced than you. How the hell are we supposed to fight the Abyssals?"

"The what?" asked Zhi Yuan.

"Abyssals," Sima said, "a fleet of returned ships like you, except bearing some hardcore grudges. They have been around since the 2020s and have pushed humans out of the seas. Shipgirls like you are helping us fight them. We're holding the line, but it will be a long time before we can eliminate them. The Chinese are asking you to help."

"Oh, sure," Zhi Yuan smiled scarily as she cracked her knuckles, "I'll happily smack the shit out of them from dusk till dawn."

She walked closer to Zhou, "You look like you are in charge. You the emperor?"

"Ah," Zhou said, "no. I am the Paramount Leader. We don't have emperors anymore."

"No emperors?" Zhi Yuan gasped, "What kind of dynasty does not have an emperor?"

"The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China," Ouyang explained, "succeeded by the Republic of China in 1912 and the People's Republic of China in 1949."

"Times have changed a lot, hmm?" Zhi Yuan asked rhetorically, "That means I should get better equipment, right?"

"Huh?" asked Ouyang.

"Don't huh me!" Zhi Yuan shouted, angry suddenly, "If you have historians who are half competent, then you should know why the Beiyang Fleet lost in the Battle of Yalu River. You supplied us with faulty shells. Many of them were filled with porcelain and cement or are of the wrong calibre. Live ammunition training was barely carried out. The crew are poorly trained, severely lacking in gunnery training. Can any naval force win a fight like that? If you want me to fight for you, then give me ammunition that actually has gunpowder in them! And if I see my sister Jing Yuan, I'm gonna beat the crap out of that coward."

"She has a point," Sima said to the Japanese.

They just looked at him and asked, "We don't know Chinese, buddy."

Meanwhile, the political leaders and the journalists were surprised by the outburst. But it was understandable. Shipgirls are said to take on behavioural characteristics based on their service record. It is hardly surprising that Zhi Yuan would be assertive, borderline aggressive, given her actions during the Battle of Yalu River. Lai Yuan would probably be the same, as she aggressively chased down the Japanese gunboat Akagi. But they were more surprised by the fact that such ancient vessels came back. Kongou, launched in 1912, previously held the record for oldest ship. Now Zhi Yuan predated her by a quarter of a century. Can such an outdated ship really take on the Abyssals?

"Who are they?" Zhi Yuan suddenly turned her attention to the Japanese. Inazuma hid behind Tenryuu.

"Ah," Yat Sen sweatdropped, "um…allies from overseas. Helping us fight the Abyssals. They'll stay here until we get a shipgirl fleet of our own."

"We're relying on the Japanese now?" Zhi Yuan asked.

"Well," Yat Sen said, "yes. Until we get more ships back. We'll be building more from the factory you just came out of."

"Pooh," Zhi Yuan complained, "I'd prefer the British."

"Anyway," Zhao said, "Yat Sen, take her around the base."

"Yes sir," Yat Sen said, "come on, I'll show you the base."

The protected cruiser followed the light cruiser, heading towards the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight, the Japanese swarmed Sima.

"Who is that?" asked Yoshimura.

"She is vulgar," Kaga said disapprovingly.

"She is scary," Inazuma whispered.

"She is BADASS!" Tenryuu laughed, "Has no fear of authority what so ever. I respect her for that."

"She is energetic," Kongou said.

"Okay," Sima said, "one question at a time. She is Zhi Yuan, an Elswick protected cruiser built in England in 1880s and served until being sunk in 1894 in the Battle of Yalu River against Japanese invaders. Considering her crew was undertrained and that most of her ammunition during the fight was defective or of the wrong calibre, Zhi Yuan did pretty damn well in that fight."

"What was she doing in a fight using defective ammunition?" asked Tenryuu.

"Probably because corruption was widespread in China," Zhao replied, "according to Zhi Yuan, most of her ammunition was filled with porcelain and cement instead of gunpowder. Many shells were of the wrong calibre as well. All vessels of the Beiyang Fleet suffered from this."

"She won't have to deal with that now," Sima said, "not when we are running the program."

The Japanese shipgirls nodded. No one can fight effectively given such circumstances.

"But how effective will she be in combat?" asked Tenryuu skeptically, "A ship from the 1880's in a fight against Abyssals of the inter-war and World War II period."

"We'll find out," Zhao said, "we got that artificial lake there."

"I got important business," Sima said, "to find out more about shipgirls. Maybe talk with Yuubari more."

* * *

A while later, Yat Sen and the Japanese shipgirls cruise in Dishui Lake.

"Come on in, Zhi Yuan," Yat Sen said, "I want to see how good you are."

Zhi Yuan walked onto the water and materialised her rigging. Four torpedo tubes strapped to her waist. Rectangular shield like projections covered her upper forearms. A twin gun mount is placed on the shield on her right arm. A single gun mount with two smaller guns in side sponsons is placed on her left arm. A single smoke stack rose from a superstructure behind her back. And nasty looking knuckle dusters, possibly reflecting the fact her prow was reinforced for ramming.

"Impressive," nodded Yat Sen, "what guns?"

"Primary guns are 210mm Krupp guns," Zhi Yuan replied, "secondary 150mm Armstrong guns. Four 457mm torpedo tubes. My guns are slow firing breech loading guns, however."

Yat Sen's eyes widened. At 72 metres, Zhi Yuan is the smallest ship to come back, smaller than the Japanese destroyers. But she packed guns of calibre much bigger than herself. Heck, Zhi Yuan's secondary guns are Yat Sen's primary weapons. Even if they are slow firing, any Abyssal mistaking Zhi Yuan for a small, easy target would get a nasty surprise.

The Japanese are surprised as well. To think a ship barely big enough to be called a destroyer packing guns with a calibre greater than 200mm. That is slightly bigger than the 203mm cannons used by Japanese heavy cruisers. However, a 200mm gun from the 19th century and a 200mm gun from the 20th century are very different. The former has long reload times and low projectile velocity. Regardless, were the shells to hit, there wouldn't be much of a difference.

After trials in the lake, it was discovered that Zhi Yuan also suffered from low speed. Neither Yat Sen nor Zhi Yuan are capable of passing 20 knots. This is a serious disadvantage in fights against Abyssals, who would be much faster. It is made worse by the fact that nether ship had significant armor. In the end, Zhi Yuan would fare little better than Yat Sen in real combat.

But nobody can know if they do not try. And perhaps tomorrow, they can go on sortie into the Hangzhou bay or further west.

* * *

That night, Sima was engaged in conversation with Yuubari again.

"You look terrible," the light cruiser joked.

"You wouldn't look better if you were a human," Sima retorted, "and went through a whole night staring at computer screens and messy hand writing."

"You stayed up for a whole night?" Yuubari gasped, "Pilot Officer, your country won't collapse if you took it easier."

"You don't have access to the same intel as I do," Sima retorted, "but you aren't wrong."

The two paused for a second.

"Tell me," Yuubari's gaze bored into Sima's eyes, "what is your government hiding from us?"

"A lot of things," Sima said, "if you really want to know. The previous Paramount Leader may have lowered the Great Firewall of China and allowed access to Western media, but there are many things which are hidden to the general public."

"Like these land Abyssals?" asked Yuubari, "And the Mountain Princess?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sima.

"You know," accused Yuubari, "land based Abyssals ravaged the Laotieshan Natural Reserve. There was even a Princess. But none of this was mentioned on the news."

"Abyssals already strike fear into the hearts of the people," Sima retorted, "and how would you think the people would react if we said there are Abyssals on land, including a Princess? I can imagine the chaos already. We would have unrest, riots and all sorts of upheavals."

"You are covering up the truth," Yuubari gasped.

"The truth is lethal, Yuubari," Sima replied, "some things are better off hidden, yes? How would the Japanese feel if they find out the Nanjing Massacre actually happened? But enough about that. I have more questions about shipgirls to ask you."


	13. First Sortie I

**First Sortie I**

At 08:00 the next day, the shipgirls gathered in the Command Room. On the opposite side of the holograph display table, stood Sima, Zhao and Yoshimura.

"Welcome, ladies," Yoshimura said, "today, you will be embarking on your first sortie in Chinese waters. You will be going further East, past the outermost reaches of Hangzhou Bay and into the East China Sea. Your task is to patrol the islands of Hangzhou Bay, eliminate any Abyssals you come across and find locations of any Abyssal bases, if any exist. Chinese long range missiles will deal with them. And pick up any resources you find."

Zhao translated this into Chinese for the benefit of Zhi Yuan and Yat Sen, though primarily for the former as Yat Sen understands Japanese.

"And before you go," Sima added, "we have another teammate joining us now and expect another one by the end of the day."

He points to the door. Another young girl walks in the door, followed by several air force officers, the latter moving to the drone control terminals. She is about 13 years old and wore a sailors outfit, similar to…

"Error-chan!" all the Japanese shout.

"Who?" asked Zhao and Sima.

"The legendary Error-chan," Tenryuu said, "the fairy who whimsically screws up our electronics, making us unable to communicate with our land based commanders! She's real!"

"No, no, no" Sima facepalmed, "she is…"

He turns to the girl, "Yeah, just introduce yourself."

The girl nodded before saying, "Name ship of the Hai Chi-class protected cruisers, Hai Chi. Built in 1897 by the British for the Imperial Chinese Navy, I served in the Republic of China Navy until being scuttled as a river block ship in 1937. Displacing 4300 tons, I was the biggest warship in China. Although I can only do 24 knots, I am confident my 203mm and 120mm Armstrong guns should be of use."

"What did she say?" asked Tenryuu.

Zhao repeated what Hai Chi said, in Japanese. The Japanese shipgirls nod in appreciation. It seems that Chinese ships, supposed to be obsolete by decades, pack some crazy firepower which should be handy under niche circumstances.

"Hmm," Zhao said, "sounds like another ship that packs firepower disproportionate to its size. Welcome to the fleet."

"Still a ship from the 19th century," Sima remarked, "won't be having high expectations of her."

Zhi Yuan promptly interrupted his snide comment, "Watch yo dumbass mouth, freak. Do kids these days have no respect for their elders?"

"Still not good with the ladies, eh?" asked one of the officers.

"Flying Officer Wang?" asked Sima, "That means…"

"Yep, Dachang Drone Squad Two is here," the Flying Officer said, "to support these girls in their fights against Abyssals. We are flying the dragonflies packing old fashioned radio guided missiles."

"How did we get the money?" asked Sima, "Dragonflies don't have the price tag of Divine Swords, but they're still military equipment."

"Donations from the ground," said another Pilot Officer, "so to speak. You know, all the otakus and weeaboos contributed the most, followed by military enthusiasts. Though regular people coughed up some serious cash too."

"Then fly those birds properly," Sima said, "they are expensive."

"To save time," Yoshimura said, "Chinese dropships are taking you to the outer reaches of Hangzhou Bay. You will be heading out from there. You will be split into two fleets. The Vanguard Fleet, comprising of Kongou, Akatsuki, Hibiki, Inazuma, Ikazuchi and Shimakaze, will lead the way. The Support Fleet, comprising of Tenryuu, Hiei, Kaga, Hai Chi, Yat Sen and Zhi Yuan, will be assisting from the rear."

"The drones will take some time to catch up," Sima said, "so be careful."

"We can do just fine without those toys," Yat Sen puffed her cheeks and pouted.

"Admiral Yoshimura will be commanding the Japanese shipgirls," Zhao said, "and I will be responsible for commanding you. Now go. Your ride awaits."

The shipgirls leave the command room and head outside.

"You joining us?" asked Wang.

"No," Sima shook his head, "I have important matters to deal with."

* * *

The Z-25 dropship cruised over the waters of Hangzhou Bay, heading east towards the open ocean. Far behind them, the Dragonfly UCAVs followed. With a high capacity battery backed up by solar cells, these U-2 like drones can loiter around the battlefield for a very long time. Developed in 2017 as a long endurance missile platform for asymmetrical warfare, it is armed with radio guided missiles, the only weapon which can reliably hit Abyssals if the user is skillful and lucky enough. After all, the outdated weapon was designed to hit armored vehicles, not human sized targets.

"We are approaching the LZ," the pilot of the Z-25 said as he eased the aircraft down to the water near Shengshan Island, "prepare for drop."

"Hell yeah," Zhi Yuan exclaimed as she jumped first, "cruiser Zhi Yuan, ready for action."

She materialized her rigging two meters above the water, landing with a large splash. The other shipgirls followed, splashing down to the water. The dropship then turned and heads back to the mainland. The dragonfly drones are far behind, barely visible against the sky.

"Let's go," Tenryuu said, "we got a mission to do!"

She turned to the Akatsuki-class and Shimakaze, "You girls go on ahead. Scout for any Abyssals and report back immediately."

"What about you?" asked Akatsuki.

"Kaga will be hanging back from the frontlines," Tenryuu said, "and with the Chinese ships being hopelessly slow, they'll be with her. And so will I, just to complete a diamond formation. Kongou, lead them. Now go."

The destroyers move to form a line ahead formation and steam away, following the fast battleship.

"Will they be fine on their own?" asked Yat Sen.

"Yeah," Tenryuu smiled proudly, "I trained the Akatsuki class myself. Shimakaze is also one of the best in Japan. Maybe the world."

"And Kongou is legendary," Hiei added, "as capable as Kaga and Akagi."

* * *

In the shallow waters near an island an injured Re-class battleship is licking its wounds. The past few days have been the worst. The Re-class intended to assault Shanghai with its followers after the joint attack by three large Abyssal Fleets. Had she succeeded, her reputation amongst the Abyssals will soar. Any Abyssal group which can breach the Invincible City is to be feared. Instead, her team was annihilated and she narrowly escaped being killed herself.

The Re-class growled in annoyance. If she breached the city, then she would be able to conquer other Abyssal Fleets through fear alone. She would be the most influential Abyssal in Asian waters, maybe even the world.

The sound of jet engines, one that she is familiar with, reached her ears. Moving into slightly deeper water, it poked out its head and looked around. One of the human dropships are dropping off shipgirls. The Re-class widened its eyes.

There was twelve of them. Judging by the rigging, there was a carrier, two battleships, a cruiser and a shit ton of destroyers. The group conversed briefly before splitting off into two groups. One battleship and five destroyers sped ahead, while the remainder stopped and formed a diamond formation, surrounding the carrier. It too sailed away.

The Re-class wanted to go out and sink the fleets. At full strength, she'd easily take them on. But she isn't at full strength now. After being weakened during the previous attack, she returned to her base. Only to find that she has been usurped by a Ru-class Kai-Flagship. Unable to repair or resupply, the Re-class can only wait for its wounds to regenerate the slow way and use ammunition sparingly. The Re-class decides to wait for the shipgirl fleets to be separated. The plan is to sink the battleship quickly before the others can react. Then finish off the survivors one by one.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sima returned to his room within the base and turned on his computer. After logging in and passing a series of security tests, he connects to the Chinese military databases. A cornea scan and finger print scan were done before he was given access to the highly classified files, normally accessible only to high ranking leaders of the military and the Communist Party.

The Pilot Officer is skeptical about Yuubari's claims regarding the Abyssals in Dalian. Especially the part regarding a Princess level Abyssal in the mountains. There are no records of land based Abyssals, besides the Princesses that resided on remote islands that house military bases. They are said to be born of the grudge and hatred of the servicemen who died there. Harbor Princess, for example, was manifested off Darwin Harbor, born of the hatred of the 236 Australians who died in the Japanese bombing of Darwin. The Princess was defeated by a combined attack by Australian shipgirls, the Australian Army and the Australian Air Force. Midway Princess and Airfield Princess resided in the Midway Atoll and Guadalcanal respectively, both having survived many determined attacks by US forces.

That wasn't all. No military installation in Dalian has suffered losses of life in World War Two. So how can a Princess be manifested from there? But then and again, it isn't like Yuubari to lie. Of course, Sima and Yuubari only met briefly, but he got the gut feeling that Yuubari was one of the intellectuals who are too crazy to lie. Not to mention that lying about this is pointless.

The Pilot Officer searched through the files, eventually coming across a file that said _Princess Level Abyssal._

"Holy shit," Sima said, "Yuubari was telling the truth."

Looking to make sure his doors and windows are locked, he opens the file. Indeed, there was an Abyssal woman, appearing to be chained up in a holding cell of sorts. A few paragraphs of text can also be seen. After reading through, Sima knew what went on. He just needs Akagi's testimony to prove whether his theory is true.


	14. First Sortie II

**Note: Yat Sen's rigging has undergone a redesign. It will no longer look like the one in Warship girls. And neither will any future Chinese ships. However, the design of the characters will remain the same.**

* * *

 **First Sortie II**

The Vanguard Fleet heads off in the Northwest direction while the Support Fleet steams due West. The Vanguard Fleet moves at a speed of 32 knots, compared to 10 knots of the Support Fleet. The idea is that the Vanguard Fleet takes a zig zag course back towards Dishui Naval Base while the Support Fleet heads straight back and meet up at approximately the same time.

If the Vanguard Fleet was to encounter the enemy, they would either engage or occupy them until the Support Fleet's air wing comes in. Should the Support Fleet. The theory behind the plan is to allow large expanses of Hangzhou Bay to be covered while taking up less time.

The Re-class watched the fleets separate, feeling its excitement rise. The carrier at the heart of the Support Fleet is the legendary Kaga. She is one of the ships considered to be elite by the Abyssals and is high on the hit list. Hiei is as well. Should the Re-class sink them, she would simply intimidate her way through the oceans. And once she gets back to her base, that Ru-class traitor will be the first to die.

But first, the Re-class must wait for the Fleets to be sufficiently separated.

* * *

Yat Sen looked at Hai Chi and Zhi Yuan with a sense of envy. How can she not be? The foreign built warships surpass her in virtually every stat by huge margins. Hai Chi, with a ship-shaped rigging armed with two 203mm Armstrong guns on a raised deck and eight 120mm Armstrong guns. She also carried four torpedo tubes at her waist. To think that Hai Chi predated her by decades was really depressing.

And Zhi Yuan. How is it that little bugger from 1880s pack three 210mm Krupp guns, two 150mm Armstrong guns and four torpedo tubes as well? Smaller, but much heavier firepower. Even if she admits that the breech loading guns are antiquated, suffering from low shell velocity and long reload times, such firepower must be handy.

Yat Sen sighed as she looked at her own rigging. Two single 150mm guns on waist platforms and four 75mm anti-aircraft guns on shoulder platforms.

"What's the matter?" asked Hiei.

"Ah," Yat Sen, "just wondering why these old Chinese ships have better equipment than me. Hai Chi is from 1899 and Zhi Yuan from 1885. I am from 1931, but both of them surpass me in almost every way."

"Ah," Tenryuu said, "it's not the rigging that makes the shipgirl. It's the soul. Just do your best. You can be modernized and can be given better equipment. You've got that crazy engineer working for your country."

"That man is like a human Akashi," Hiei said, "not mentally sane."

"What are the Japs yappin' about?" asked Zhi Yuan, "Their language is ear grating."

"Not much," replied Yat Sen, "talking about equipment…"

Before she could finish, Kongou called over the radio.

"Support Fleet, this is the Vanguard Fleet," her voice said, "we have encountered heavy enemy resistance and re…BURNING LOVE…uh…requesting air support immediately. We've got a Ru-class Flagship-Kai and the fucker has a lot of followers!"

"Acknowledged," Kaga said, "preparing to launch aircraft."

The Support Fleet turned 180 degrees to face East, into the wind. The carrier draws her bow in preparation to launch. A contact suddenly appeared on Hiei's surface radar.

"Contact!" she shouted, "And it's something big!"

But before the fleet can respond to the threat, it sailed into a spread of Abyssal high speed torpedoes. Tenryuu, Kaga and Hai Chi receive hits. The carrier is lightly damaged while the cruisers are moderately damaged. A Re-class sails out from behind a rock outcrop and charges at the fleet recklessly. Hiei brings her guns around to engage the target, but it was too late. The Re-class, having already set its sight on her, fires its primary 16 inch guns.

Hiei performs a sharp turn, but still takes multiple hits.

"Damn!" she cursed, "Take this!"

The fast battleship fires her main battery. But due to her hurried aiming, only one shell hits and it barely scratches the Abyssal. The Re-class grins savagely as it sails headfirst to the fleet, charging recklessly.

"You forgot about us," Zhi Yuan shouted, "you gun dragon freak!"

The protected cruiser opens fire with her Krupp guns. The Abyssal aviation battleship didn't even attempt to dodge as it closed the distance. Of the three shells, only one hit, reflecting the poorly trained nature of Zhi Yuan's crew. But that one shell made a considerable difference.

* * *

The Re-class was charging at the Support Fleet when the destroyer-sized ship opened fire. The attacking shipgirl was tiny, smaller than every other shipgirl it has seen. It was much smaller even than destroyers the Re-class was familiar with. Which was why the shell was a nasty surprise. The high explosive shell possessed a considerable punch, slightly stunning the Abyssal. The Re-class was utterly confused, so much that it slowed to a stop.

The shells that hit it easily packed the punch of a heavy cruisers, at least 200mm in calibre. But the ship that fire them was the smallest ship the Abyssal has ever seen. How the hell did such a tiny shipgirl mount such powerful weapons?

"You forgot about us," Yat Sen said as she aimed her 15cms, "and that is a mistake that will cost you."

Yat Sen's shells knocked the Abyssal out of its thoughts. Destroyer or cruiser, a 200mm shell is still a 200mm shell. It is nothing compared to the 300-400mm shells it has survived before. Another volley hits the Abyssal. Two of them of similar hitting power to the previous volley, with smaller destroyer size shells mixed in. The Abyssal roared angrily as it continued its charge.

"Torps free!" Tenryuu shouted.

Yat Sen repeated the order in Chinese. Hai Chi and Zhi Yuan nod before launching their torpedoes. The Abyssal dodged the ones launched by Tenryuu, but received several hits from the Chinese. However, the Chinese torpedoes are much less powerful, being about 45cm compared to Tenryuu's 60cm.

"Have we beaten it?" asked Tenryuu.

"This is a Re-class," Kaga said, "it won't be defeated that easily."

Sure enough, the Re-class opened fire with its secondary battery. The shots score a few hits, but did not inflect significant damage. It continued to move forward, braving gun fire from Hai Chi and Yat Sen's quick firing guns.

"Take that!" Hiei shouted, firing her cannons.

The shells hit the battleship, inflicting serious damage to parts of the Abyssal. At this time, Zhi Yuan accelerates, heading towards the advancing battleship.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tenryuu warned, "Get back into formation!"

But Zhi Yuan didn't hear her. Even if she did, it wouldn't matter, because the protected cruiser did not know Japanese. But then and again, knowing Japanese wouldn't make a difference. Zhi Yuan is a proud combatant of the Beiyang Fleet, the biggest fleet in Asia of its time and the eighth biggest in the world. A Japanese is never going to command her.

The Re-class noticed the advancing Zhi Yuan. The Abyssal grinned. Even if this tiny shipgirl had the guns of a heavy cruiser, there was no way it would beat the Re-class in a firefight. The Abyssal opened fire with its secondary guns. The shells cause heavy damage to the protected cruiser. But this did not stop it from advancing.

"If you want to sink so badly," the Re-class hissed as its primary battery was reloaded, "then you shall!"

"Over here, motherfucker!" Tenryuu shouted as she fired her 14cm guns. The Abyssal simply weathered the hits. Looking up, it noticed that Hiei was aiming at her.

"Bye bye," Hiei said cheerfully as she fired again, "I wonder if onee-sama will praise me."

The shells smash into the Abyssal, who was preoccupied with the charging cruiser, dealing more damage.

"Look here!" Zhi Yuan shouted as she fired again.

The shells explode in the Abyssal's face, obscuring its vision. By the time the smoke cleared, Zhi Yuan was already right next to the aviation battleship.

"Take that!" Zhi Yuan exclaimed as she slugs the Abyssal in the gut with her right fist. Roaring angrily, the Abyssal swing's its massive tail at the protected cruiser. Zhi Yuan catches the tail, gripping it tightly until the force behind the blow was gone. The protected cruiser then uppercuts the tail on the underside with her left, just behind the jaw, following that with a punch to the Re-class's head.

"Now," Tenryuu ordered Kaga, "launch your aircraft to help Kongou and the kids!"

"Right," Kaga said, "I'm on it."

Tenryuu then turned her attention to the fight between Zhi Yuan and the Re-class. The Abyssal battleship has caught the protected cruiser in its coils like a boa constrictor. The cruiser struggled but can't get out of its grasp.

"Damn that kid!" Tenryuu cursed as she charged forward, "She shouldn't be so aggressive!"

"I am loaded and ready to shoot," Hiei said.

"No," Tenryuu stopped her, "you'll hit Zhi Yuan. Leave the Abyssal to me."

Tenryuu quickly charges at the Abyssal. Before it could respond, Tenryuu brings her sword down onto its head. She then immediately kicks the Re-class in the stomach. The Abyssal loosened its coil, enough for Zhi Yuan to punch the dragon head again.

"I don't need your help, Jap!" Zhi Yuan shouted at Tenryuu, "I got this."

"Don't be afraid," Tenryuu said as she cuts the Re-class again, "I'm right here."

Zhi Yuan slipped free from the Abyssal's grasp.

"Alright, you little bastard," she spat, "take this!"

Zhi Yuan leans back, shifting her centre of gravity onto one leg before propelling herself forward and elbowing the Re-class in the head, disorienting it. Tenryuu then grabs Zhi Yuan and pulls her away from the Abyssal.

"Now!" Tenryuu shouted.

"Fire!" Hiei ordered.

Her guns open fire, scoring direct hits on the Re-class. Hai Chi and Yat Sen follow suite, opening fire with their weapons. Finally the Re-class, after sustaining one suicide drone crash, five anti-ship missiles and lots of shipgirl munitions, floundered. The Abyssal collapses onto the surface.

"She won't be going anywhere," Hiei said, "shall we finish her off?"

"No," Yat Sen said, "take her back. I am sure Pilot Officer Sima would be interested in how Abyssals tick."

"We've still got to help Kongou's group," Hiei said, "and we can't go there carrying this Abyssal. Just sink the damned thing. I am sure you will have many future opportunities to capture Abyssals."

Yat Sen nodded before ordering Hai Chi and Zhi Yuan to attack. The two protected cruisers open fire with their main weapons, scoring the hits that finally killed the Abyssal. The Re-class slipped under the water, sinking rapidly.

"Come on," Tenryuu said, "we still have the Vanguard Fleet to worry about."


	15. First Sortie III

**First Sortie III**

"Burning…LOVE!" Kongou shouted as she fired her main guns.

The shells hit the energy barrier of the Ru-class flagship leading the Abyssal group. The explosions splash across the barrier, which flared up as it dissipated the energy. No apparent damage was inflicted. The Ru-class so far tanked all the damage the shipgirls dealt out.

Cannon fire is exchanged furiously between the Vanguard Fleet and the Abyssal fleet. The latter is composed of two Ri-class heavy cruisers, two Ho-class light cruisers and eight I-class destroyers, led by the flagship.

"Girls," Kongou ordered, "take out the little bastards first. Then we can gang up on the big bastard."

"A real lady shouldn't swear like that," Akatsuki remarked as she fired on an I-class destroyer, "it is crude."

The air was thick with gunfire as the ships traded shots furiously. Rensouhou-chan harried a Ri-class, encircling it while firing their guns. The Ri-class growled in frustration as it turned to attack the turrets, but they are too small and fast to be hit. The escorting Abyssal destroyers turned, coming the the Ri-class's assistnce.

"No you don't," Ikazuchi said, "take that!"

Multiple shots from 12.7cm guns impact the Abyssal destroyers. Taking the distraction, Shimakaze darts through the fleet, heading for the Ri-class being harassed by Rensouhou. The Ri-class notices the destroyer coming in fast and tries to turn to engage her. But it was too late.

"Quint oxygen torpedoes," Shimakaze said as she circled around behind the Ri-class, "fire!"

Unable to move out of the way, the Ri-class takes the entire spread. Shimakaze must have hit something nasty, because the Ri-class went out in a huge fiery blast.

"Look out!" Akatsuki yelled.

"Huh?" Shimakaze looked forward, only to see an I-class leap out of the water. Shimakaze leans to her right and begins a sharp turn. The Abyssal crashes down on the location that the shipgirl was half a second ago. The force of the impact spread through the water, knocking Shimakaze off balance.

"Zekamashi!" Kongou shouted.

Shimakaze get up onto her feet, "My name is not Zekamashi."

"No time for correctness," Ikazuchi complained as she fired at the I-class.

A shooting star plummets from the sky and explodes against the I-class destroyer. It did little damage, but it managed to confuse the Abyssal.

"Where did that come from?" asked Akatsuki as she looked up.

High above them, ghostly entities flew around, barely visible. The sail plane like drones have arrived on the scene. But no engine sound can be heard from them, adding to their eerie, unsettling nature.

"Chinese drones," Hibiki said, "we've got aerial superiority."

The aircraft launch more missiles at the Abyssals, concentrating on the Abyssal destroyers. The radio guided missiles descend from above, scoring hits or near misses on the destroyers. Hitting something barely the size of a small car moving at high speed from 5 000 feet is not easy.

* * *

"Think we'd let you have all the fun?" asked Flying Officer Wang to no one in particular.

"Concentrate on the job," a pilot officer reminds him, "we've got Abyssals to hit."

"Yeah," said another, "the task is hard enough as it is."

"Are we even doing damage?"

"More than you think. These may be anti-tank missiles, but their shaped charge warheads can melt through centimeters of steel."

"Reckon we they need more reinforcements?" asked Zhao, "We are outnumbered and the enemy has a powerful flagship. Kongou even requested air support."

Yoshimura shook his head, "I have confidence in my girls and Kongou is one of the elite. And regarding air support, they were calling it in from the Support Fleet. You can keep your jets on the ground. They are expensive to fly, yes?"

"Our civilians may have largely switched from fossil fuels," Zhao said, "but the military hasn't yet. It won't be long though, we are developing better hydrogen jets."

* * *

"AH!" Kongou exclaimed as several shells explode against her.

The Ru-class almost seemed to grin as it continued heading towards Kongou. Most of her destroyer escorts are gone, leaving only two I-class. Two Ho-class and one Ri-class cruiser remained.

"Keep firing!" ordered Ikazuchi.

All the destroyers continue to shoot the Ru-class. A volley of 12.7cm shells hit the Abyssal, but it barely even flinched.

"Torpedoes are reloaded," Shimakaze suddenly declared.

"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Kongou, "Get them, Zekamashi!"

"Cover me," the destroyer said, "I am going in."

A fresh burst of power from Shimakaze's boilers later, the destroyer picked up speed, heading straight for the Abyssal. The Ri-class was occupied with defending the Ru-class from behind, fending off attacks by Hibiki and Inazuma and the Ho-classes was busy trying to shoot down Chinese drones. Two I-class destroyers roared and aimed their main guns at Shimakaze.

"Rensouhou-chan," Shimakaze ordered, "distract them."

The animated turrets cheered as they followed their orders. The biggest one moved to the left I-class while the two smaller ones went to the right. Both I-classes immediately switch their focus from Shimakaze to the turrets. The left I-class tries to hit them with its gun, but it misses repeatedly. The other I-class attempted a different approach, attempting to bite the two smaller Rensouchou's like a giant mutant shark.

"Take that!" Shimakaze shouted as she moved into position, "Quint oxygen torpedoes!"

A spread of 61cm oxygen torpedoes shoot forward from Shimakaze's torpedo tubes and speed through the water. Unable to move out of the way, the Ru-class takes the entire spread. Huge plumes of water erupt from the surface, completely obscuring the Abyssal battleship.

"Yeah!" Shimakaze exclaimed, punching the air, "got her!"

"Nice job, Zekamashi," Kongou laughed, "I think you have a good chance of taking the MVP."

"Look!" Akatsuki said.

She pointed to the Ru-class. The battleship emerged from the explosions, apparently unfazed. But the Abyssal barrier gave out, evident in the last flicker it gave off. Fortunately, a very familiar buzz sounded off in everyone's ears.

"Kaga's aircraft!" Ikazuchi pointed at the sky.

Indeed, fifteen aircraft in three formations arrive on the scene. The Ho-class are stirred into a frenzy at the presence of the new threat. Abandoning their task of shooting down the Dragonfly drones, they turn to face Kaga's air wing.

 **SPACE**

"Dive bombers have made contact with Abyssals," Kaga said, "commencing attack."

"Let them have it," Tenryuu said.

"I don't need you to tell me," Kaga replied, "my girls are very talented."

* * *

Kaga's aircraft, Type 99 dive bombers, converge on the Abyssal fleet. The fleet responds quickly, maneuvering from being a disorderly group to forming a diamond formation.

"Hurry," Kongou ordered, "while they are distracted! Torp the _little fucks_!"

"How un-ladylike," Akatsuki pouted, "launching torpedoes!"

Volleys of 61cm torpedoes from the destroyers speed through the water, heading straight for the Abyssal fleet. Right about this time, Kaga's dive bombers appeared. Descending from the sky like a silver water fall, the bombers swoop over the Abyssals, releasing their bombs.

The bombs and torpedoes hit the fleet at the same time. The Abyssal vessels are obliterated in the cross fire of bombs and torpedoes. When the explosions died down, only a weakened Ru-class remained.

"This is it," Kongou smirked, "bye bye."

Her 41cm guns boomed for the last time. Flames burst out of the Abyssal as it crumbled, gradually disintegrating the battleship.

"Yeah!" Kongou cheered, "One fleet wiped out."

"Good job," Yoshimura's voice said through the comms, "can you continue your patrol?"

"Of course," Kongou replied, "we all took a few hits, but it is only minor damage. How is the Support Fleet?"

"They ran into a Re-class battleship," Yoshimura replied, "and it mauled the cruisers pretty bad. Zhi Yuan was hit the worst. The crazy girl actually brawled with the Abyssal and survived. The other cruisers took moderate damage while Kaga took light damage."

"Crap," Kongou muttered, "even Nagato wouldn't do that."

* * *

"Shall we call back the sortie?" asked Zhao, "Our ships have already been hit pretty hard."

"Call back yours if you have no confidence in your forces," Yoshimura looks up, "but the Japanese ships will continue."

"It is also unlikely that there will be other Abyssal forces in the bay," a voice said, "so they should at least finish the patrol."

Turning back, Zhao and Yoshimura, see Liang walk into the room.

"What makes you think so, Professor?" asked Zhao, sarcasm in his voice.

The woman glared at him, "Because we have been taking near continuous Abyssal attacks. We've slaughtered them by the hundreds over the years. Heck, we just beat off the 100 Abyssal attack a few days ago. The losses we have inflicted on Abyssal forces can't be replaced easily."

"Whatever, little girl," Zhao looks away.

"Don't just use character attacks," said a third voice, "they achieve nothing apart from making you look cheap and immature."

Looking at the door again, the trio sees Sima.

"Sir," Zhao salutes him.

"Save it," Sima said, "you got a fleet to command. Speaking of which, how goes the Chinese fleet girls?"

"Umm," Zhao rubs his hands together nervously, "well, the Support Fleet, which consists of a mix of Chinese and Japanese shipgirls, ran into a Re-class battleship, but she been taken out. The Vanguard Fleet, which is all Japanese, fought with an Abyssal fleet with a Ru-class Elite Flagship thingy."

"A what?" Sima raised an eyebrow.

"Black Ru-ck shooter," Zhao said.

"Ah," Sima nodded, "those things. They're quite powerful, but rare as well. But you didn't answer my question. How are the Chinese shipgirls?"

"Ah…" Zhao sweatdropped, "well, the cruisers Hai Chi and Yat Sen are moderately damaged while Zhi Yuan is heavily damaged. You know, the first two one half hit points and the last on 15%."

Yoshimura does not know Chinese, but he did pick up the names of the three Chinese shipgirls. The Admiral wondered what Zhao was saying. Sima's explosive reaction gave him a good idea, however.

"What!?" the Pilot Officer shouted, "This is the first sortie and you have already gotten the girls into shit this deep? How the hell did you even get them that injured?"

 _Yep_ , thought Yoshimura, _pissed off that they have been damaged. Back on Shikotan Island, the pilot officer spoke of Yat Sen as a weapon, property of the Chinese defense force. Looks like that has changed._

"Uh," Zhao argued weakly, "that wasn't my fault. According to Hiei, the Abyssal concealed itself by activating its rigging at the moment of attack. And you know how powerful the Re-class bastards are, right? They are powerful enough to take on entire shipgirls fleets on their own and _sinking_ conventional fleets. We're lucky that none of them are dead. Furthermore, Zhi Yuan broke from the fleet on her own and engaged the Abyssal in close combat. That wasn't my fault either."

Sima puffed, "Fine, you're off the hook. But bear in mind, those girls are property of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Weapons that cannot be bought with money. If they go down, we're fucked. Now withdraw the fleet for repairs."

"Huh?" blurted Zhao.

"You heard me," Sima ordered, "withdraw the fleet. We cannot have the girls fighting under such circumstances."

"But that would appear on my service record as a fail," Zhao whinged, "I don't want that. I'll take full responsibility. There are Japanese ships supporting them too."

The Pilot Officer went silent, "Fine, have it your way."

"Where were you?" asked Liang.

Sima looks over at her, "Classified."


	16. The Beiyang Fleet

**The Beiyang Fleet**

A few hours later, both fleets finished the patrol of Hangzhou Bay and returned to Dishui Naval Base. Throughout the patrol, no more Abyssals were sighted.

"Hello, commander!" Zhi Yuan's loud voice preceded her presence, "We're back."

The shipgirls shuffle into the command room in various states of disrepair. Most of them only had ripped and burnt clothes, but Zhi Yuan had it much worse. Her shoulder appeared to be completely fragmented and large incisions from the Re-classes teeth can be seen. Blood soaked her cheongsam and jacket.

"Holy shit," Sima said, "Zhi Yuan, you're bleeding!"

"Feh," the protected cruiser flicked a strand of hair out of her face, "I am Zhi Yuan, of the Beiyang Fleet. Such a tiny wound won't do much."

Sima gave Zhao a death stare.

"If we lose her," he threated, "our higher ups are going to strangle me. And when that happens, I will make sure to strangle you."

The Pilot Officer turns back to Zhi Yuan, "Why are you still here? Go over to the docks and repair yourself."

"I'll be fine," Zhi Yuan smirked, "get on with the debriefing."

"You'll get blood on the carpet!" Sima bellowed, "Get your ass into a dock RIGHT NOW!"

Inazuma yelped and hid behind Tenryuu. The other Japanese shipgirls also looked shocked. But Hai Chi and Yat Sen looked uncomfortable. Offended, even.

"Pfft," Zhi Yuan snorted, "your anger is only making you look out of control and impotent. Maybe you are impotent."

But she still turned and walked towards the exit.

"Um," Yat Sen said, "I can help you."

Zhi Yuan looked up and down at Yat Sen, "No, I'll be fine."

The protected cruiser leaves the room.

"Ahem," Yoshimura clears his throat, "I don't know what the Pilot Officer here said just then, but that doesn't matter. Now with the debriefing."

* * *

Zhi Yuan growled in annoyance as she takes off her clothes. Who did that man think he was, the goddamned emperor? How dare he talk to her like this? Were it not for Zhi Yuan, the fight with the Re-class could have gone on for longer.

"Stupid freaky man," she mutters to herself as she moved to a single bath, "what is he-"

She was going to continue her monologue, but as she lowered herself into the bath, she interrupted herself with a satisfied sigh. Almost as soon as she submerged herself under the water, Zhi Yuan felt it's magic. Her pain and fatigue have started to fade.

"Now we're talking," she said, rubbing her shoulder, "ouch! Damn, that Re-class was tough. Did she crush my bones or something? Well, the pain is fading, so I should be fine."

* * *

About ten minutes later, the other girls entered the docks. Although the Dishui Naval Base occupied the same land area as the Shikotan Naval Base, it is much taller, the extra floor giving more room for facilities. That included bigger docks. Six ships can be repaired simultaneously, opposed to the three of Shikotan. Hai Chi, Yat Sen, Tenryuu, Kongou and Akatsuki entered the remaining ones.

"Zhi Yuan," Kongou said as soon as she saw the protected cruiser, "you were pretty _cool_."

"Eh?" was the reply.

"Don't eh me," Kongou continued, "you were _awesome_ in that fight. You were pretty reckless and put yourself in unnecessary danger. Hiei got MVP for the Support Fleet and _Kongou_ for the Vanguard Fleet."

She gives Zhi Yuan a thumbs up, "But that doesn't change the fact that you _kicked ass_. Like Tatsuta said, 'it ain't the size of the shipgirl in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the shipgirl'."

"For a Chinese ship," Kaga said slowly, "you did pretty good. One from the 1880s no less."

The only response from Zhi Yuan was a blank stare, with confusion thrown in. She then turned to Yat Sen and asked, "Hey, you. You know their language, right?"

"Me?" Yat Sen asked, startled by her sudden question.

"Yes you," Zhi Yuan said impatiently, "I know the Jap said something about _cool_ and _kicked ass._ But what else did she say?"

Yat Sen frowned. Sure, she was sunk by the Japanese and was later refloated and forced to serve as a cadet training ship. She can't forgive them for the crimes that they committed against humanity almost a century ago. But now they are here to fight along them, not against them. Even if they are getting Chinese weapons in return, they are still risking death to help with the Abyssal problem. Naka already sunk, within days of deployment to Tianjin. Kadawa and Sendai were devastated by her loss. If Zhi Yuan isn't going to be grateful, she could at least turn down the racism. But then and again, Kaga holds an attitude of superiority that is pretty annoying.

"She complimented you," Yat Sen replied, "and stop using Jap. It's offensive to them."

She expected Zhi Yuan to argue back, but surprisingly, she nodded. A few more seconds passed and Zhi Yuan pulls herself out of the bath.

"Ah," she stretches, cracking her joints, "that is much better."

She walks over to a closet. With the world "clean towels" written in quite a few languages. English, Japanese and Chinese are identified, but two more are not.

"You're all repaired?" asked Hai Chi.

"Yah," Zhi Yuan said as she opened the closet and pulled out a towel, "I am only 72m long and displace only 2393 tons. Of course I'll be quick."

"Eh," Yat Sen nod, "I ain't a big ship either. Give me three or five minutes, I will be gone too."

Zhi Yuan dries herself and gets dressed before tossing her towel into a chute that said "dirty towels", once again in five languages.

"See you later, suckers," she said, the last word in English.

* * *

Zhi Yuan hummed a song as she sauntered back to the command room.

"Commander!" she said loudly as she barged in, "What did I miss-"

She stopped, because she saw Tenryuu and Yoshimura getting intimate. The Admiral already had one hand up her shirt and another down her skirt. The two stopped when they saw the protected cruiser. Pilot Officer Sima, Officer Cadet Zhao and Professor Liang are nowhere to be seen.

" _What the fuck_?" Zhi Yuan said in English.

"Um," Yoshimura replied in English, "I can explain."

Zhi Yuan materialized her knuckle dusters, "Go on."

"As you can see," Yoshimura explained, "Tenryuu is damaged."

"Which is why she should be lined up in the docks, waiting to get repaired," Zhi Yuan interrupts him, "not in here committing adultery."

"Ah, yes," Yoshimura takes out his hands, "I was just inspecting Tenryuu for damage."

"With a hand up her shirt and another down her skirt?" Zhi Yuan growled, "The Japan I remembered abided by neo-Confucian beliefs! Why are you behaving so indecently?"

"That Japan you remembered was late 19th century Japan," Yoshimura argued, "this is the early 21st century."

Tenryuu whispers something into Yoshimura's ear. The Admiral's eyes lit up and he continued, "Furthermore, the docks only repair a shipgirl's body. I was looking for mental trauma in Tenryuu. I found some and I am healing her heart. With intimacy. Skinship."

Tenryuu nodded vigorously. Zhi Yuan narrowed her eyes at the two. She was going to ask more questions but decided against it.

"Where is the freak?" she asked.

"One of the Chinese? I saw him and the other Chinese go to the factory," Yoshimura replied, "they are discussing what ship to build next."

The protected cruiser turned and ran.

"Should we continue?" asked Yoshimura.

"No," Tenryuu said, "we better go."

* * *

By the time the Chinese shipgirls and Akatsuki finished their repairs, the final countdown began. The aforementioned ships, Zhi Yuan and Hiei stood outside the factory. Liang, Zhao and Sima are also present.

"How much resources did you put in?" asked Akatsuki.

"20 of each," Zhao smiled, "because that is all we have available, after making allowance for repairs. Construction time was eleven minutes. Got about one minute and thirteen seconds left."

"Twenty?" Hiei frowned, "What are you trying to make? Another Zhi Yuan? Well, you only get out what you put in. Eleven minutes is very short."

"One minute left," Liang said, "and to be honest, Zhi Yuan's sister Jing Yuan is actually preferable to later Chinese ships. I mean, Zhi Yuan is better than Yat Sen, even though she is almost 40 years older. And Zhi Yuan only took nine minutes. So no, we are not getting Jing Yuan."

"You want to see you sister?" asked Yat Sen.

"Yeah," Zhi Yuan cracks her knuckles, "I am so going to give her some tough love."

"Why," Hai Chi asks her, "wouldn't you be happy if you saw her again? I'll be if I saw Hai Tien."

"Your sister didn't turn her back and abandon a battle, resulting in a crushing defeat," Zhi Yuan retorted, "did she?"

"No," Hai Chi shook her head, "the poor girl was lost in an accident back in 1904. Never saw combat. But then and again, neither did I. I was scuttled as a river block ship on the Yangtze."

"Ah," Sima said, "construction complete."

As the timer dropped to zero, the layers of doors slide open. Another very young shipgirls stands inside. Her outfit is similar to Zhi Yuan, but instead of an 1890's style tailored jacket, she wears a short silk cape that covers her shoulders and her back, anchored by shoulder guards. Metal plates covered her hips and stomach. The shipgirl has shoulder length blonde hair and striking green eyes, framed by long eye lashes. She is taller than Zhi Yuan, but shorter than Akatsuki.

"She's pretty," Akatsuki muttered, "like a true lady."

"Introduce yourself," Sima said.

The girl smiled, "Cruiser Jing Yuan, of the Beiyang Fleet. Laid down in 1885 and completed in 1888. Fought in the Battle of Yalu-"

Jing Yuan didn't finish, because Zhi Yuan sprinted up to her and punched her in the face. Jing Yuan was not expecting the attack and was knocked to the ground. Zhi Yuan then stood over her and prepared to

"What?" Akatsuki gasped.

"Zhi Yuan!" Liang said sternly as he walked closer, "What was that for?"

"Shut up!" Zhi Yuan shouted, "I am going to teach this coward a lesson."

Jing Yuan recovers and kicks Zhi Yuan in the stomach. The protected cruiser stumbled back.

"A coward?" she hissed, "I fought hard alongside the rest of the Fleet against the Japanese invaders in the Battle of Yalu River! How dare you!"

The two cruiser stand opposite of each other. Both of them materialized knuckle dusters, in preparation for a round of hand to hand combat.

"Hey," Liang turned to Sima and Zhao, "stop them!"

"Hm?" Zhi Yuan suddenly said, "You're not my sister ship."

"Exactly!" Jing Yuan said, "I am _armored_ cruiser Jing Yuan, not _protected_ cruiser Jing Yuan. Lai Yuan is my sister."

She pointed her knuckle dusters at Zhi Yuan. Sure enough, 經遠was etched onto the front, as opposed to 靖遠. The two have identical pronunciation.

"Yikes," Zhi Yuan dissipated her duster, "I am so sorry about that. Did I hurt you?"

Jing Yuan rubbed her face but smirked, "I have 200mm turret armour and 240mm belt armour. I won't go down easily."

"Great," Zhao crossed his arms, "another antiquated cruiser. When can we get Ning Hai and Ping Hai?"

Both Beiyang cruisers shot him a withering glare, which shut him up.


	17. Not Human

**Not Human  
**

After the repairs, the shipgirls were told to meet up in the central lobby.

"Today," Sima announced, "we welcome a fourth ship into the Chinese shipgirl fleet. Introduce yourself, girl."

"Respect your elders," Jing Yuan warned, "kiddo."

 _So the Beiyang ships aren't just antiquated,_ Hai Chi and Yat Sen thought, _they're foul tempered as well._

"Ahem," Jing Yuan cleared her throat, "I am armored cruiser Jing Yuan. Not to be confused with Zhi Yuan's no-good coward of a sister, who shares my name. Ugh, the mere thought of it angers me."

"Aye," Zhi Yuan nods, "if she comes back, I will instill honor and discipline in her. By any means necessary."

The Chinese personnel and shipgirls sweatdrop at what she said. Whatever Zhi Yuan's sistership did, she is certainly not liked by Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan.

"Shut up," Jing Yuan ordered, "I am talking."

"You what mate?" Zhi Yuan retorted.

"Calm down," Zhao said, "Jing Yuan, continue."

"Thank you," Jing Yuan nods, "anyway, like Zhi Yuan, I was laid down in 1885. Except I was built in Germany instead of England. Served in the Battle of Yalu River in 1894. I blame the Chinese naval defeats during the First Sino-Japanese war on whoever thought it was a good idea to divert navy funds into other areas. Heck, my crew barely received live ammunition training since 1891. They were well drilled, but what good is that in a fight? Oh, one more thing. Remove the teak wood that covers my deck. That stuff is flammable and doesn't belong on a warship, as Lai Yuan and I found out the hard way. Somehow Lai Yuan survived after all the punishment she took. Tough and vicious, that girl."

"Ah man," Zhao complained, "we don't need any more bloodthirsty girls who have access to large caliber naval artillery. I don't want to get bombed."

"Then don't provoke them." Sima interrupted.

"I want Ning Hai and Ping Hai!" Zhao exclaimed grabbing at his hair, "They were the most modern ships in the Republic of China Navy. The light cruisers were about the same size as a destroyer, but that didn't stop them from being awesome. They have the firepower of Yuubari, but at half the price!"

"Oh, shut up," Sima said, "stop throwing temper tantrums like a fucking child. You are an officer cadet, a soon to be naval officer. Act your part!"

"Men," Liang shook her head before smiling at Jing Yuan, "anyway, welcome to the fleet. You missed a fight, but there is a large artificial lake out there you can train in. We have no ammunition right now, but the next batch should come in soon."

"Yeah," Zhi Yuan said, "the lake is pretty sweet. Want to have a few rounds?"

* * *

The Pilot Officer exhaled as he lay on his bed. The last few days have been stressful as everyone worked hard to bring China's shipgirl fleet up to scratch. The days ahead will be difficult. The Chinese ships are underwhelming when compared to their foreign counterparts. Of the four currently in service, three are returned from late 19th century ships. And the one 20th century shipgirl they have is even worse than the 19th century ones.

The warships of other nations are far more advanced. Japan, Britain and the US have fleets of powerful shipgirls, returned from WWII era warships. Italy, Germany and France are also close behind. Hai Chi, the most powerful Chinese ship, is nothing compared to the ships of other nations which carry that title. Yamato, Iowa, Tirptiz and King George V are just a few.

The outlook for the Chinese shipgirl fleet, hell, even the Navy itself, is not bright. When it became evident that the navy and air force are incapable of holding off the Abyssals and that large scale international trade would be impossible, Paramount Leader Wu Liangyi ordered people to withdraw from the coast, deploying military forces to cities which resisted. The population was forced to form large self-sufficient agricultural communities which then supported a centralized system which governed education, science, technology and health. The idea is that even if international trade and the world economy never recover, China would maintain an orderly government and social stability.

But with the decline in coastal settlements, the need for a navy sharply declined. After the annihilation of the People's Liberation Army Navy and the destruction of many shipyards, the government debated on formally abolishing the navy and integrating personnel into the army and air force. To this day, Sima Xiangdong and Yang Tian alike have to fight hard for the government to fund the Chinese Shipgirl Fleet and the New Navy. Neither have been particularly successful.

At least the Chinese shipgirls have the popular support of the people, who are more than willing to donate to the force. Yang Tian's New Navy, which was intended to take on Western warships, did not have that luxury. But to truly convince that the Shipgirl Force is worth keeping, Sima would need to prove that the Shipgirl Force does not need government funding and is capable of winning the war against the Abyssals. The former is easy. Shipgirl forces have very high degrees of independence, their core functions unaffected by external factors. The latter is the real challenge. 18th century small cruisers are going to have a hard time beating World War II battleships and carriers.

Regarding the shipgirls, there is another issue. After the Chinese shipgirl force has increased to four ships, Sima considered sending two of them to start a new base somewhere in the Bohai Gulf. Previously, he considered sending Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan, seeing that they were once based there and would be familiar, while Yat Sen and Hai Chi remain in Shanghai for the same reason. However, seeing the conflict between the protected cruiser and the armored cruiser made him wonder whether it was such a good idea. As the Chinese saying went, "one mountain cannot contain two tigers". And if Lai Yuan is the kind of girl to attack aggressively right at the beginning of a battle and fight even after burning down to the water level…it is going to suck for any commander who has to break up a fight between three tigers. It was a real eye opener. European built cruisers from the Victorian-era, looking as lady like as possible, almost getting into a serious fight.

Sima growled and rolled over. He is now responsible for dealing with a bunch of potentially psychopathic children who can materialize large caliber naval artillery, but are also the key to defeating the Abyssals and securing Chinese waters. And that Abyssal Princess or something. No doubt he is going to get involved with her. All while retaining his rank and pay rate of a mere Pilot Officer.

"I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit!" he exclaimed out of the blue.

"What shit?" asked a voice.

Sitting up, Sima sees Yat Sen standing at the doorway, looking worried. He sighs.

"Building a shipgirl fleet capable of defeating Abyssals," he replied, "and judging by the quality of the shipgirls currently in our arsenal, that isn't looking likely for a while."

Yat Sen walk over and sits on his bed.

"Are we really that disappointing?" she asked.

"To be honest," Sima replied, "yes. The Chinese shipgirl force was not supposed to start like this."

"What do you mean?" asked Yat Sen.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Sima replied, as he gets off the bed, "just make sure you never speak of this."

"I promise," Yat Sen nods.

The Pilot Officer closes the door and locks it. Yat Sen tilts her head, wondering what is going through Sima's. He returns to the bed and sits down.

"As you know," he began, "the world suddenly came under attack by Abyssals. They flattened our ships within weeks and decimated our coastal regions. Soon after the first shipgirls appeared and started kicking Abyssal butt, we made a deal with the Americans. Three hundred billion US dollars for railgun technology. But that was just the surface."

Noticing that Yat Sen went pale, he quickly added, "The value of the US dollar changed since the 1930s. So don't get a heart attack. But anyway, that railgun deal was just a feint. Sure, the American's did give us their railgun technology and it was interesting academic material, but that wasn't what we were really after. We were acquiring weapons that cannot be bought with money."

"By buying it with money?" Yat Sen raised an eyebrow, "You're contradicting yourself."

Sima sighed, "Okay, it is a language quirk I am not going to explain. Anyway, we were after something else. That money was a giant bribe to the US government and military. You see, if you have an artefact from a certain ship, you increase the chances of getting that ship in shipgirl form. So we were actually buying parts from WWII American ships. Quite a few of them were floating museums and were lost to Abyssals."

"You were trying to buy foreign shipgirls!" Yat Sen exclaimed.

"Sh, sh," Sima puts a hand over her mouth, "quiet down."

"Why?" Yat Sen started tearing up, "Are we really that bad?"

"Okay, okay," Sima said, "but we really didn't have much options. Let's be honest. The Republic of China Navy was really unimpressive, okay? We needed some big battleships and cruisers. With blue water capabilities. Heck, we can't even get artefacts from Ning Hai or Ping Hai because they sunk way out in the Pacific. But Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan came back without artefacts of their ship forms, so high hopes for Ning Hai and Ping Hai."

"But why would you cover a deal like that?" asked Yat Sen, "Can't the military and government just tell the public?"

"No way," Sima said, "the Americans loved their shipgirls, just as the Chinese love you. They were symbols of American identity, a reminder of the USNs glorious past. Their appearance ended the anarchy and social instability in the Western civilisation, because they gave the people something to believe in. Now relationships between the US and China declined after the Battle of Spratly Islands. How would you think the people would take it if we were buying the components for shipgirls then forcing them to serve in the Chinese navy?"

"Is there anything else?" asked Yat Sen.

"Well, the first part of the deal went pretty smoothly," Sima said, "we were sent detailed data on shipgirl bases. Things like general layout and operational instructions. How else did you think we managed to build a two story building which is a fully operational shipgirl base in just 24 hours? But the artefacts from wrecked museum ships were much harder to acquire. Those aren't things you can send over the internet. It took us a few years to get relics from World War II and World War I warships which we deemed to be unlikely to be of value to the US. And we waited until we can undergo the final transaction without catching the suspicion of the American people. But it seems we failed, because our transport was shot down."

"By who?" asked Yat Sen.

"Most likely an American," Sima replied, "who was offended by the fact that we were literally buying shipgirls. Westerners like to think of their shipgirls as humans and considered what we were doing to be slave trading. And most likely the American was high ranked, because we've already crossed the Bering Sea when we were intercepted. He must have had to authority to send fighter aircraft after us, even in Russian waters. The bastard could have stopped us before we took off, but no, he had to shoot us down over Abyssal infested waters. The killing intent was obvious."

"Do you think you were slave trading?" asked Yat Sen.

Sima looked at her incredulously, "You are weapons who happen to look like humans and have free will. No, we were not because you are not human."


	18. Intensive Training

**Intensive Training**

The cruiser shipgirl and Pilot Officer continued staring at each other. The tension in the air was thick enough for Tenryuu to cut with her sword.

"So," Yat Sen tilted her head, "to you, I am just a weapon."

"You are a weapon to the rest of the country," Sima replied, "except for those otakus and weeaboos. Haven't you grasped that concept yet?"

"Sub-human," Yat Sen asked, "mindless and disposable, right?"

It was beyond doubt that there was sadness in her voice. But Sima also detected pent up aggression.

"Sub-human?" he said, "No. Mindless? That depends on who you are talking about. Disposable? Definitely not. What made you think that you are disposable? Sure, as a ship, you leave much to be desired."

He gestures towards her, "But you can do more against the Abyssals than any other weapon. You are valuable. More so than any of our modern warships and aircraft. The government would consider humans like us to be expendable before they even think of putting that label on you."

The shipgirl frowned, "Then…why do you not think of me as a human?"

Sima facepalm before continuing, "Don't you understand? We humans are flawed creatures. Greedy, selfish and deceitful. You shipgirls are above that. You have all the virtues of humanity, but none of humanity's vices. Girl, you shipgirls are the goddesses who hold the future of humanity in your hands."

"At least," he quickly added, "that is what I believe. I don't know about others. Except for Yang Tian. That fucker hates your kind."

The sound of cannon fire interrupts their conversation. It was a deep, booming blast, signifying a large caliber gun. Sima slowly walks over to the window and looks out. The shipgirls Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan are on the lake, smoke curling out of the former's twin Krupp guns. The Pilot Officer leans on the window and rests his chin in his hands. The rigging of both cruisers are remarkably similar. Both carried a single smokestack and a mast on a ship stern like projection behind their backs, torpedo tubes on their waists and turrets on shield-like projections fixed to their arms.

The difference was that Zhi Yuan has a twin 210mm gun mount on her right arms and a single 210mm on her left, with two side mounted 150mm guns. Jing Yuan lacked the single 210mm mount. Perhaps her rigging can be modified to carry on. Or better still, have twin 210mm on the left mounts of both cruisers. The two cruiser appear to be attempting to hit a stationary target twenty metres from their position. It is a cut out of an Abyssal Wo-class carrier. Zhi Yuan must have missed, because the target was still there. The Beiyang cruisers want intensive training? They can get as much of it as they like. As long as the bases resources hold out.

"You like those girls?" Yat Sen asked as he walked behind them.

"Yes," Sima replied, "perhaps they suffer from lacking proper training and more modern weapons, but their spirit is admirable. Besides, now that we have the shipgirls, who cares if they are slow or poorly armed? We can import shipgirl guns and engines from other countries. Primarily England and Germany, seeing how our ships seem to be from those two countries. But Russians are more likely to cooperate"

"But," Yat Sen tilts her head, "would I be compatible with the technology? I don't want to be surpassed by these earlier ships."

Sima stands up straight and faces Yat Sen, "You need to be more confident in yourself. Because Zhi Yuan and Hai Chi already see you as their leader and role model. And Jing Yuan will follow suite fast. You won't need to be a powerful fighter, though. I have other plans for you."

* * *

Zhi Yuan growled in annoyance as she looked at the target. It is in perfect condition, almost mockingly. She missed the target by a metre to the right.

"I'll try again!" she said as she raised her left arm, "Fire!"

The single 210mm Krupp gun boomed, spewing out flames and a large amount of black smoke. The shell slowly arced through the air before harmlessly splashing into the water, half a metre in front of the Wo-class cut out.

"That was your best shot?" Jing Yuan teased, "Now watch me!"

Jing Yuan points her right arm at the target and fires her guns. The shells miss by a metre to the right.

"Yeah," Zhi Yuan mocked, "totally better than me."

"Shut up," Jing Yuan argued, flustered, "that wasn't my best shot."

"Mine wasn't the best either," Zhi Yuan snapped, "watch this!"

Once again, Zhi Yuan missed.

"They have a long way to go," Tenryuu muttered, watching from the shore, "no surprise that they lost the Battle of Yalu River."

"Yeah?" asked Zhao, who stood behind her, "Well, we have all the time in the world. The Citadel and its supporters successfully held off the Abyssal since it was built seven years ago. And in a few days, it will be fully operational. I also did a bit of research. Apparently the bitch Cixi used naval funds to renovate palaces after she lost interest in the navy."

"Huh?" Tenryuu asked.

"Yeah," Zhao said, "money which was meant to go to the Beiyang Fleet was used up in worthless pursuits. And who the hell thinks some fancy palaces are more interesting than navy warships?"

Hai Chi steams into position, turning her two 203mm guns to the target. Two loud booms echoed across the lake. But the Wo-class target still stood. Defiant. Hai Chi growled as she aimed her secondary weapons. A staccato of gunshots later, the cutout stood. Three gaping holes, however, indicated that some hits have been scored.

"Yeah," Hai Chi punched the air, "I got it!"

"You have so many guns!" Zhi Yuan shouted, "It isn't fair!"

"Oh ho," Hai Chi rubbed her chin, "in a war, there is no such thing as fairness."

"What do you know about war?" asked Jing Yuan, "You never fought in one!"

"So?" Hai Chi retorted, "We are in one right now!"

* * *

Sima watches the squabble down below.

"Tch," he snorted, "I can't believe that we'd be relying on them to win."

"What is your plan for me?" asked Yat Sen.

"That will have wait when you are remodeled into Atada," Sima said, "becau-."

"DON"T CALL ME THAT!" Yat Sen suddenly shouted.

The Pilot Officer was surprised, "Yat Sen?"

"I'm sorry," Yat Sen apologized, "I shouldn't have done that."

Before Sima could speak, she runs out of the room.

* * *

Footsteps echo down a corridor which has walls, ceilings and floors of steel. Very thick steel, judging by the sound of the footsteps. Four men turn a corner, heading towards a massive vault. Yang Tian and two soldiers clad in pitch black armor with glowing red visors. The latter are Shock Troopers, elite soldiers recruited from the best of the Marines and Special Forces. They are the only group of Chinese infantry equipped with power armor besides the Presidential Guards and are considered to be second only to them within the defense force. Two more guarded the vault.

"We are here," Yang Tian said, "at last."

Placing his head on the chin rest of a cornea scanner, Yang Tian waited for his identity to be confirmed. A screen flickered to life, displaying Yang Tian's photo and name.

"Access granted," a synthetic voice said.

The guarding Shock Troopers take their helmets off, revealing balaclava covered faces. They too scan their eyes using the cornea scanner. The escorting Shock Troopers do the same. Four barcode strips appeared on the screen, replacing Yang Tian's portrait.

"What is this?" asked Yang Tian, "You did the same thing at the entrance."

"This is a security system," a Shock Trooper guard replied, "used to prevent unauthorized entry. You may be the Chairman of the National Mobilization Committee, but your clearance means nothing here. Anyone who seeks move around this base need the authority of the Shock Troopers stationed here. You need the guards assigned to this door to authorize your entry and have your escorts verify that they are present."

"Opening doors," the voice said.

The floor rumbled for a few seconds before the armored doors shuddered. Huge locks inside the doors became undone before the thick armored doors slide to the left and right. It was easily one metre thick and had several layers of different materials. The sliding doors reveal a massive armored chamber.

"Heh," Yang Tian nodded, "I can see how this used to be the Yulin Naval Base."

The facility, designed as a massive underground naval base, is capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear powered submarines. More than half of the world's annual merchant fleet tonnage passes through the Strait of Malacca, Sunda Strait, and Lombok Strait, with the majority continuing on into the South China Sea. The Yulin Naval Base, placed on the southern coast of Hainan Island, is a strategic location to maintain surveillance in the area. Nowdays, it has been converted to hold captured Abyssals. And today, Yang Tian is going to visit the first batch.

Escorted by shock troopers, Yang Tian walks through platforms and corridors. Eventually, he walks through another armoured door and stops. In the middle of the room, is a woman with scarily pale skin and glowing red eyes. The woman is dressed in tattered clothing of unknown style. She is secured to the wall with massive locks. Shock Troopers and men in labcoats stood around.

"Well, well, well," Yang Tian smirked, "what have we here?"

The Abyssal woman growled and lunged forward at Yang Tian, but Shock Troopers open fire with assault rifles and shot guns, knocking her back into the wall. The Abyssal hissed but stopped.

"This is a humanoid Abyssal," a scientist said, "which we captured in Lushunkou. We also captured some artillery Abyssals. This one was very tough. She took on Chinese infantry and tanks before collapsing out of lack of strength."

"Hmph," Yang Tian snorted, "our army triumphed in the end. What have you got to say for yourself, monster?"

"Monster?" the woman asked, in the typical echoing voice of Abyssals, "Japanese forces are right on our doorsteps. Again. And yet you call _me_ the monster? You look like a leader. Why aren't you doing anything about it?"

Yang Tian growled and slapped her in the face. A second later, he reeled back in pain. The flesh of the Abyssal was soft, but her bones were like steel.

"Heh," Yang Tian, "you think I want the Japanese on our territory? After the Nanjing Massacre? After the Port Arthur Massacre?"

The Abyssal stopped moving at the last words and looked up, "So you know about the Port Arthur Massacre of 1894."

"When the Japanese slaughtered the Chinese on Lushunkou," Yang Tian asked, "leaving only 36 to bury the bodies."

The Abyssal woman grinned savagely, "Then you should know who I am?"

"Holy shit," a Shock Trooper muttered, "an Abyssal form of the…"

"Fortresses of Lushunkou," Yang Tian finished, "and I imagine you embody the hatred of the 4500 Chinese soldiers who died in the conflict."

"Call me Lushunkou Princess," the woman sneered, "if you wish."


	19. Lushunkou Princess

**Sorry about the chapter 18 mixup. I saved DOD18 as a docx file so somehow shit got mixed up. Fixed now.**

 **Lushunkou Princess**

"Lushunkou Princess?" Yang Tian commented, "What, you Abyssal brass really think you are royalty of some kind? Even after you are locked in one of the most secure military bases?"

He leans forward until he is face to face with the Abyssal, "Do you know what the fate of you and your followers would be? Scientists will drain you of your blood, strip you of your flesh and carve up what remains."

Yang Tian then stands up straight, "Yes, the Japanese have committed so many crimes against China that we have lost count. And to this day, they are perhaps the most fucked up people on this planet. What they consider…entertainment…alone proves it. Those bastards are the filth of the Asian continent. But you Abyssal vermin have done nothing except for destroy human civilization. Your kind have the blood of millions on your hands."

He walks until he is next to his Shock Trooper escorts before turning to face Lushunkou Princess again, "And you. You are the returned form of a Chinese fortress. Yet you turned against us!"

"I turned against you?" Lushunkou Princess asked menacingly, "Ha, ha, that is funny. I embody not only the hatred of the Chinese soldiers who died in the fight, but also the Chinese civilians who were massacred. My guns may not be powerful, but my flesh and bones are forged from the grudge of the slain. Their rage is my armor and their hatred my shield."

"Fascinating," a scientist muttered as he typed on a data terminal, "is that how the Lushunkou Princess survived airstrikes with thermobaric warheads and multiple direct hits from APFSDS rounds fired from modern high velocity tank guns? How does the negative emotions translate to tangible energy and how is that converted to a physical barrier? There are so many questions waiting to be answered."

Yang Tian and Lushunkou Princess ignored the scientist's rant.

"Do you have an idea how much death and destruction your kind have caused?" Yang Tian asked, "And even to this day, you stand against us! I understand that you sent Abyssal torpedo ships to attack Japanese shipgirls, but why did your artillery turn against the Chinese? You personally slaughtered Chinese infantry and destroyed Chinese armored vehicles too."

The Abyssal laughed maniacally, her blood chilling laughter echoing throughout the chamber. It took a while to stop, "What is wrong with killing traitors, hmm? My artillery girls were going to attack the Japanese ships when they destroyed the Abyssal torpedo boats. But then Japanese people appeared. Protected by your soldiers and armor. They must die for assisting the Japanese."

She leaned forward, "Those Japanese are still here, right?"

"Because scum like you still exist!" Yang Tian shouted, "We built mighty fortifications protecting our major rivers and they have been destroying you vermin for years! But when the shipgirl Yat Sen…"

Yang Tian's voice was filled with displeasure and contempt when he said the last two words, "…who is the most useless warship in the entire navy, returned. And now we have a base full of them. Obsolete shipgirls from the late 19th century. From the Century of Humiliation. If only some modern warships returned."

"But don't you understand?" he suddenly snapped and pointed to Lushunkou Princess's face, "Because you scum are in Chinese waters, we need the Japanese here to assist our defenses! At least until our great fortifications are operational again. If you Abyssals were never born, we'll never need the Japanese."

"Tough shit," Lushunkou Princess cursed, "if the Japanese never came to Lushunkou, I'll never have been born."

The scientist takes note of this.

"Well then," Yang Tian asked, "if we expel the Japanese from China, what will you do, drop dead?"

Lushunkou Princess laughed again, "Dream on. I have already been reborn! I will destroy all that gets in my way!"

"In your way," a Shock Trooper said, "eh? What if other Abyssals get in your way?"

"Then they will be destroyed as well," Lushunkou Princess replied, "and so would you, soldier."

"Wait," the scientist said, "if Lushunkou Princess was born because Japanese shipgirls entered the vicinity of the Lushunkou fortresses, then…"

"Then what?" asked Yang Tian impatiently.

"What if," the scientist asked, "the Japanese shipgirls accidently approached the remains of the Qing dynasty fortresses in Weihaiwei? There was a brutal fight there during the First Sino-Japanese War…"

"The Battle of Weihaiwei," muttered Yang Tian, "where the Chinese suffered 4000 deaths. The Beiyang Fleet was finally destroyed there as well."

"You know what will happen," Lushunkou Princess smiled menacingly, "foolish people."

"Weihaiwei Princess, eh?" Yang Tian mused, "Well, the naval base was designed with assistance from Germans. Twelve land fortifications bristling with Krupp and Armstrong guns. Two fortified islands as well. Furthermore, the Beiyang Fleet was finally annihilated there. They may come back as Abyssals too."

"What should we do?" asked a Shock Trooper, "Shall we send reinforcements?"

"No," Yang Tian replied, "conventional forces will do little good. Tanks present a large and slow moving target, aircraft lack precision weapons and infantry do not possess the firepower necessary to take on Abyssals."

"Then should we warn the Chinese and Japanese forces stationed there?" asked the scientist.

"No," Yang Tian replied casually, "that would not be necessary."

"What?" a Shock Trooper demanded, "Why? I understand your prejudice against the Japanese, but why not warn the Chinese?"

Yang Tian looked at the Shock Trooper contemptuously, "Because I have other plans."

He turns to the Lushunkou Princess, "And it involves using Abyssals to our advantage."

"I'll never obey a human!" Lushunkou Princess spat.

"I don't need you to," Yang Tian leans forward, "understand? In fact, you play no part in my plan. But Weihaiwei Princess will, even if she doesn't know it."

"What are your plans?" asked a Shock Trooper.

"Withdraw all naval forces from the Bohai Gulf to Beijing," Yang Tian said, "for rearming, refueling and general maintenance. Withdraw infantry and armor from the Wehai area back to Tianjin. Call off all construction. Let the personnel have the next few days off. This is an order from the Chairman of the National Mobilization Committee, effective immediately. Relay this to Beijing as soon as possible."

"Why?" asked the scientist, "Wasn't it top priority to bring the Bastion forward and online as soon as possible?"

Yang Tian turns to him, "Because I said so."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sima stood in the factory of the Dishui Naval Base. He looks up at the walls, regarding the vaults. Behind the armored doors are fairy machinery which are responsible for the manufacture of shipgirls and shipgirl components. He suddenly realized that he has never seen behind the doors. Nor has he seen how shipgirls are built without being born as a Primal.

Sima thinks back to how Yat Sen exploded when he said "Atada". Was he told to not call her that? He can't remember. It definitely wasn't a good idea. Being forced to serve the nation which committed so many crimes against her builders must have been awful. And the mere name would be a reminder of the times.

However, if the Chinese are to stand against the Abyssals, it is necessary that she attains that stage. Would it be Kai or Kai Ni? Most likely the latter. From what Sima knows, it takes a considerable for a shipgirl to reach a remodel level. When she does, she will glow. That is when the shipgirl can be remodeled. But the question of how does the fairies know what to remodel the shipgirl has not been answered. In fact, shipgirls are a mystery to modern science.

The questions don't need to be answered to remodel a shipgirl, because quite a few shipgirls from various nations are in their Kai and Kai Ni stages.

"Hello sir," a fairy in loose fitting clothes and army boots drifts down to his position, "what brings you to the inside of the factory?"

"Questions," Sima replied, "about how shipgirls are made. No, about the shipgirls themselves. What is the science behind them?"

"No idea," the fairy shook his head.

Hardly surprising, Sima thought, because if the fairies really knew all the answers, then the Western scientists would not have given up trying to understand shipgirls. Not if they could have simply asked fairies.

"How do you build the shipgirls?" he continued asking.

"It is hard to put into words," the fairy said, "but you can watch."

"I refuse to stay in a chamber potentially filled with dangerous radiation," Sima replied, "it isn't healthy. Have you seen the blue light that glows when a shipgirl is built? That's looks like the light from nuclear reactors. Cherenkov radiation, I believe it is called. Whatever it is, I am not risking cancer."

"Suit yourself," the fairy crossed his arms, "what are you here for?"

"More questions," Sima asked, "it is possible for you to reverse engineer shipgirl parts?"

"Yes," the fairy said, "give us time to study the equipment and the materials to build it, then we will."

"Fairy," Sima asked, "how are the current weapons on Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan?"

"21cm Krupp guns," the fairy replied, "built between 1860s and 1880s. Muzzle velocity of 430 metres per second and a range of 3800 metres."

"Compared to high 800 or low 900 metres per seconds muzzle velocity of current shipgirl guns of the same caliber," Sima continued, "and the high 20000 or low 30000 metre range. And that is not taking into the scaling down to human size into account. Should it be taken into account? Fuck, I don't even want to know about the 150mm Armstrong guns. Propulsion?"

"You know the answer to that," the fairy said, annoyed, "triple expansion reciprocating steam engines. Boilers use coal as fuel. This applies to all current Chinese shipgirls."

"Fairy," Sima said, "if we give you blueprints for equipment, you should be able to build, right?"

"Yes," the fairy said, "just give us time to study the blueprints and supply us with materials."

"Hmm, I recall Shimakaze brought a massive trunk filled with designs for new engines," Sima rubbed his chin, "and her rigging itself contains an experimental high pressure boiler. I think it is time to pay her a visit."


	20. The Northern Fleet

**The Northern Fleet**

Early next morning, Yat Sen sneaked out of her room. The cruiser walked towards the cafeteria, heading towards the kitchen. She was determined to prove her worth to Sima and whatever superiors he reported to. Yang Tian scared her in particular. That man is just plain nasty, yet he appeared to hold significant power. He seemed to really hate shipgirls, or people in general. Yat Sen, being affiliated with the Republic of China Navy, was uncomfortable with the prospect of serving the Communist Party. But it is called the People's Liberation Army Navy, so it can't be all bad.

The Japanese ships here are the real issue. Particularly Kaga. After all, it was her aircraft that decimated the Chinese fleet at Shanghai. It is a real pity that she was surrounded not only by Imperial Japanese Navy ships, but also Imperial Chinese Navy ships. It annoyed her to no end that the Chinese ships preceding her by decades are more heavily armed and armored. Where does this leave her? After talking with Tenryuu yesterday, Yat Sen decided to help out more around the base. Perhaps if she is not good at combat, she can be the secretary ship or something.

This is why she headed towards the kitchen. For the past few days, the people and shipgirls at Dishui Naval Base ate like crap.

"You're up early," a voice said as she walked into the cafeteria.

Yat Sen nearly jumped out of her skin. She just managed to hold in a piercing scream.

"Hello, Yat Sen," another voice said, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Looking at the speakers, Yat Sens sees Professor Liang and Pilot Officer Sima. The two were poring over some notebooks and a flat screen device.

"Umm," Yat Sen said, "I wanted to help out around the base, so I decided to come to cook."

Sima looks up, puzzled, "Cook? You're a ship."

"I must prove my worth," Yat Sen said, "so if I can't fight, I will assist in other ways."

"You can fight," Liang continued, sipping from a tea cup, "just not very well yet. But that is okay. The defenses of Shanghai primarily relies on the Citadel. The Japanese will also stay until the Citadel is 100% operational. We have all the time in the world to get you more experienced."

Sima nodded.

"Why would you want to cook anyway?" he asked, "A man who asks a woman to cook is a misogynistic cis gendered patriarchal rapist."

Yat Sen gave the Pilot Officer a blank stare, "Huh?"

"We're not all like that!" Liang hissed, "Don't confuse us with that red headed American idiot."

Yat Sen, not understanding what they were talking about, asked, "Well, why are you two up so early?"

"I never sleep for more than four hours a night," Sima replied, "and I am pretty sure the same applies to Professor Liang."

"I'm not that hardcore," Liang corrected, "I need six hours."

"Are you human?" asked Yat Sen, bewildered.

Both officer and scientist looked up, offended, "Of course."

"Well," Yat Sen mumbled, "if I can't cook, can I at least stay with you?"

"Be my guest," Sima said as he looked back down and continued writing.

Yat Sen sits down next to Sima, watching him scribble words. She glances at Liang. Her paper is filled with all sorts of numbers, English letters and symbols she did not recognize.

"What are you doing?" asked Yat Sen.

"Contemplating on what you are," Liang replied, "and where you come from."

"Understanding that," Sima said, "we can perhaps summon newer ships."

He looks up again, "Because let's be honest, a bunch of cruisers from Qing China isn't going to do well against WWII era ships, which the Abyssals represent . Especially since we got Demon, Princess and War Demons, which are exaggerated versions of WWII ships."

"The People's Liberation Army Navy didn't become competitive until the 80's," Liang continued, "and it wasn't until the 2010's that it became a blue water navy that rivalled Western powers. It means we have to wait fifty years to get decent shipgirls and eighty to get good ones."

"Oh," Yat Sen lowered her head. _So we're all equally undesirable._

"Not true," Liang retorted, "because the Beiyang Fleet was once the most powerful fleet in Asia. Given the training and ammunition, it would have ass-raped the entire Japanese navy. The ironclad battleships _Dingyuan_ and _Zhenyuan_ were more powerful than their American pre-dreadnought counterparts, USS Texas and USS Maine."

"Yeah," Sima agreed, "but Abyssals aren't based on ships from that period. Which is really bad for us. Regardless, we have to decide whether to split the shipgirl force."

"Indeed," Liang nodded, "time to reinforce the defenses of our northern waters. The problem is who to send."

"I am thinking of Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan," Sima said, "because that is where they once served. They would be the most familiar with local terrain. Though rising sea levels may have caused some changes."

* * *

As breakfast time arrived, the shipgirls and humans entered the cafeteria. By Dishui Naval Base procedures, the shipgirls are fed first.

"That's nice," Yoshimura nodded at the sentiment, "but shipgirls can eat for quite a long time."

"So?" Sima shrugged as he turned on the plasma TV, "it's not like we are in a hurry to sortie today. Gunnery training for the girls is as far as we will go."

 _And for breaking news,_ _the military is beginning a mass withdrawal from the Bohai Gulf._

Sima snapped his head to face the TV while Zhi Yuan spat the contents of her mouth into Hai Chi's face.

"What is going on?" Sima asked.

"What is happening?" asked Yoshimura.

The TV showed the Type 058 destroyer and other naval units moving into a river, heading inland towards Beijing. The view cut to a scene showing Chinese tanks rolling along the road.

"The Chinese are retreating from the front lines," Sima replied, "what is going on?"

The TV cut to the captain of the destroyer.

 _Captain,_ the reported asked, _what is going on? Why is the military retreating?_

 _We are not retreating_ , the captain replied, _orders have come from the National Mobilization Committee that naval units are to be rearmed and refuelled at Beijing. We have expended a considerable amount of ammunition fighting the Abyssals the other day._

The scene changed to a reported talking to a special operations soldier, asking a similar question.

 _We are not entirely sure,_ the soldier replied, _but we have been told to withdraw inland. Construction personnel were told to take a break while combat personnel were told to regroup and wait for reinforcements._

"Withdraw?" Sima shouted, " _Withdraw_? What the HELL?"

"It's just like the Battle of Lushunkou and Weihaiwei," Zhi Yuan snapped, "they're withdrawing without offering any resistance."

"The new Bastion is only 17% operational," Sima added, "and in a fight against Abyssals, it may well be 0%. What is the Mobilization Committee thinking? And just after Lushunkou Princess and her flunkies devastated infantry and armour in Lushunkou."

The report continued, _National Defence Minister Ouyang Kemeng has slammed the move as irresponsible and stupid. He is calling for the chairman Yang Tian to revoke the order or face charges of high treason. The Japanese shipgirls and their commander Jun Kadawa are also perplexed by the move._

Kadawa appeared on TV along with Akagi.

 _Why are the defences being withdrawn?_ He asked, _The Chinese can't possibly be counting on my shipgirls to do the fighting alone. We suffered a crushing defeat just a few days ago which resulted in the loss of Naka. And now Chinese military support is retreating? Even with Haruna and Kirishima as reinforcements, we would still have trouble fending off large scale Abyssal attacks that haven't been seen in Japan since 2029._

"Fuck this," Sima snarled before turning to the Beiyang cruisers, "Zhi Yuan, Jing Yuan, as soon as you are finished eating, we are going to support Japanese shipgirls in Bohai Gulf."

"Going home at last," Zhi Yuan said.

"Shall I come as well?" asked Yat Sen.

"No," Sima said, "you'll stay in Shanghai with Hai Chi. And the next ship we build may or may not come with us."

He turns to Yoshimura, "Admiral, you will be in charge of training today. Relay your orders through Yat Sen."

"You can count on me," Yoshimura nodded.

"Professor Liang," Sima continued, "you will be responsible for building the next ship. We should have enough resources for something bigger."

"Okay," Liang nodded.

"I will be going to inform Beijing about sending Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan north," Sima said as he walked away, "I am not going to wait for a response from them, however. This is a national emergency."

"Officer," Yat Sen said, "could it be possible that Yang Tian betrayed us?"

Sima halted in his steps as he calculated the possibilities, "No, it's impossible. For all his flaws and shortcomings, that man is a patriot who is fervently devoted to the Chinese Communist Party. Nothing will make him turn against China."

He starts walking to his room again, "Regardless, it is time to make a Northern Fleet again."

Tenryuu grabs Yat Sen by her shoulder, "Tell me. What is going on?"

"Chinese forces are retreating from the Bastion in large numbers," Yat Sen said, "and we don't know why. Pilot Officer Sima is going to Tianjin with Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan."

"I'll go too," Kaga said.

"Huh?" Yoshimura blurted.

"I am not going to leave my sister," Kaga said, "not when the Chinese military did."

"Very well," Yoshimura nodded, "go with Sima."

* * *

Sima returns to the front of the factory after bringing a suitcase. Zhi Yuan, Jing Yuan and Kaga followed him closely.

"Sir," Liang said, "construction will be completed in forty minutes."

"That is forty minutes we do not have," Sima muttered before turning to the shipgirls, "ladies, we're going."

"I thought you wanted to know which shipgirl we're getting first," Liang said, "have you changed your mind?"

"Yes," Sima said, "I already know that she won't be a Beiyang ship. Therefore, I won't be taking her. I'll be gone."

The group walked out of the Naval Base, waiting for their transport.

"Who would the new shipgirl be?" Tenryuu asked Yat Sen.

"Well," Yat Sen replied, "Hai Chi took an hour to build, so something smaller than her. But something bigger than Zhi Yuan, to be sure."

"It better be Ping Hai or Ning Hai," Zhao interrupted, "they fit the criteria."


	21. Battle of Weihaiwei I

**Battle of Weihaiwei I**

Forty minutes finally elapsed before the timer hit zero. Chinese and Japanese stood outside the factory, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new ship. The armored doors of the factory slide open after the counter hit zero. A young woman, in her late teens or early twenties, looked back at them through her glasses. She has brown hair which is tied into a bun and brown eyes. White stockings went halfway between her knees and hips. The shipgirl wore a short dark brown pleated skirt and a green shirt, topped with a blue shoulder cover of sorts. She carried a green flute, possibly made of jade.

"Introduce yourself," Zhao said.

"Hello," the girl said slowly, pushing up her glasses, "I am training cruiser Ying Swei, semi-sister ship to Chao Ho and Fei Hung."

"Not Ping Hai or Ning Hai," Zhao muttered depressed.

"Ah," Ying Swei said, "I know those two. I fought alongside them against the Japanese."

She then frowned and slapped her flute in her hand, "But tell me, why are there Japanese in our territory?"

"They're here to help," Liang explained, "to fight against the Abyssals. They will remain here until we have a sizable navy fleet of our own."

"Of what?" asked Ying Swei, "Ships?"

"Returned ships," Liang said, "World War Two era ships that came back in human form. Like you. And Yat Sen."

"Well, hello again," Ying Swei said to Yat Sen, "it's good to see you."

She extended her hand.

"Yeah," Yat Sen replied, "time to get the gang back together."

* * *

The Z-25 dropship flies low over the sea, carrying the Pilot Officer, Zhi Yuan, Jing Yuan and Kaga.

 _I made a mistake_ , Sima thought to himself, _I should have brought Yat Sen along. Neither of the Beiyang Cruisers have radios fitted on them. Neither of them speak Japanese. Commanding them will be difficult. I can't communicate with them from shore and they won't understand orders coming from Admiral Kadawa._

"Hey kid," Zhi Yuan said, "you okay?"

"I am not a child," Sima growled, "but will you be okay? You will have no means of communicating with me in battle."

"Nothing new," Jing Yuan shrugged, "the same thing happened in the Battle of Yalu River. Flagship Ding Yuan lost her mast and couldn't coordinate the fleet. Under such circumstances, we are ordered to form mutually supporting pairs."

"Have faith in us," Zhi Yuan said, "this ain't gonna be like 1894."

"If you say so," Sima muttered as he looked out.

The dropship approached the cluster of Japanese shipgirls. The ships present are the aircraft carrier Akagi, fast battleships Kirishima and Haruna, light cruisers Sendai and Yuubari and the destroyer Fubuki. The fleet gathered here is formidable.

"Ladies!" Sima shouted over the sound of the dropship's engines, "Where is your commander?"

"The commander is on Liugong Island," Akagi replied, "setting up a simple command post in a place called Dongcun."

Sima nodded, "Girls, this is your day."

"Hell yeah!" Zhi Yuan shouted as she jumped out, "Gonna kick ass!"

"Ready for action," Jing Yuan said as she followed.

The two materialized their rigging, splashing down onto the surface. In contrast, Kaga carefully lowered herself to the water, materializing her rigging as she touched down on the water. The Z-25 sped away, heading back towards the island in the bay by Weihai.

"Um," Akagi said, "hello?"

The two ships glanced at her, but didn't reply.

"Hi," Yuubari said, "I am experimental light cruiser Yuubari. Pleased to meet you."

Once again, the cruisers paid her no attention.

"They don't speak our language," Yuubari said "what happened to Yat Sen?"

"Um," Fubuki said, "what are these ships? I haven't seen any shipgirl like them before."

Yuubari rubbed her chin as she looked at the Beiyang girls. What Fubuki said was true. Yuubari has seen shipgirls from all over the world, as she and Akashi travelled to seminars to share shipgirl and conventional technology. She has seen Germans, British, French, Italian, American, Canadian and even Australian. Not one of them looked like the cruisers before her. They appeared to be of older construction. 1910's? 1900s? Surely not earlier than that. Kongou is from 1912 and she is the oldest shipgirl known to Japan.

"Who cares?" Akagi asked, "If they can fight, then they will be useful."

The two ships ignored the Japanese and steamed out to a position a few hundred metres away before stopping.

"Huh," Fubuki said, "not working with us?"

"Kind of difficult when they don't speak our language," Kaga said, "let's just hope they don't do something stupid."

"You have no faith in them, do you?" asked Akagi.

"They are unimpressive," Kaga replied, "they returned forms of protected cruisers from the 1880s. Their fairy crews are also poorly trained. Zhi Yuan is also reckless. I don't expect them to make much contributions."

"Wait," Yuubari said, "1880s you say?"

Sendai suddenly tilted her head.

"Enemies inbound," she said, "heading in from the direction of North Korea. Four cruisers. Yes, two To-class light cruisers, a He-class light cruiser and a…WHAT?"

"What?" asked Yuubari.

"A light cruiser demon!" Sendai said.

"They aren't pulling their punches," Akagi said, "are they?"

She raised her bow and fired off an arrow, which became a flight of dive bombers. Kaga joined her, sending out a flight of torpedo bombers. The aircraft fly off into the distance.

"Akagi," Kirishima said, "I shall lead a group and attack the enemies directly. Since there is an Abyssal demon involved, I don't think aircraft alone are adequate."

Akagi nodded, "Go for it."

"Admiral?" Kirishima asked through her radio, "Shall I?"

"Do it," Kadawa replied, "and good luck."

Kirishima turned to the group of shipgirls, "Haruna, Sendai, Yuubari, Fubuki, follow me. We are engaging the enemy."

"Well," Sendai said, "good thing we aren't fighting fifty Abyssals, each one of them a Chi-class torpedo cruisers or heavier. A battleship princess came here for god sake."

"Yeah," Kirishima said, "we're running low on instant repair buckets and there is no base where we can repair. At least not around here."

Kaga and Akagi watched as the group steamed off into the distance

* * *

Admiral Kadawa sat inside the abandoned house on Liugong Island, in Dongcun. Situated at side of a hill, he can see far into the ocean with the assistance of a telescope. He looked down at his tablet again. Shipgirls are fitted with GPS (much to the dislike of Katori, who insisted traditional ocean navigation methods be taught), allowing their locations to be tracked. Kaga and Akagi hung back from the battle, launching their aircraft from afar.

What ships did the Chinese send? Surely they didn't just bring Kaga from Shanghai.

The sound of jet engines grew in his ears. Looking out the window, he sees a drop ship hover low above the ground. One officer in blue jumps out. Pilot Officer Sima. Kadawa watched as the man entered the house.

"How are things going?" asked Sima.

"So far so good," Kadawa said, "recon aircraft have detected a fleet of Abyssals. Two To-class light cruisers, a Ri-class heavy cruiser and a Light cruiser Princess."

"That doesn't sound good," Sima replied, "Princess level warships can sink entire conventional fleets."

"But," Kadawa said, showing him the tablet, "we have a formidable fleet moving to engage them. Two fast battleships, two light cruisers and a destroyer. Kirishima and Haruna are veteran combatants, experienced fighters who have taken part in many battles. And we also have support from two aircraft carriers. This will be an easy fight."

"We thought the Bastion can beat any Abyssal invasion," Sima warned, "but it has been breached and has yet to be repaired. Don't let your guard down."

* * *

The Abyssal fleet approached the Weihai district from the east in a diamond formation. At the head of the fleet is the Abyssal Light Cruiser Princess. While Abyssal Jintsuu is depicted as the standard Light Cruiser Princess, they actually came in many forms. It is said that shipgirls and Abyssals share a common origin. The memories and temperament of the crew which manned their ships formed the base of the two. The difference is that the shipgirl is born from the positive emotions while the Abyssal from the negative. Needless to say, the crew of a war machine during a brutal six year war are going to experience the negative ones a lot more. The result is that the Abyssal counterparts of shipgirls are far more powerful, which is why they are regulated to Princess, Demon or Water Demon class. The "non-boss" generic Abyssals are hypothesized to be drones, non-sentient puppets of their superiors, produced by the "boss" Abyssals.

The Light Cruiser Princess leading the assault today did not resemble Jintsuu, or any other existing shipgirl. She is dressed in a navy uniform, dated to before World War Two. A strange droning sound could be heard in the distance. Looking up, the Princess sees multiple black specks approaching. She squinted into the air.

The aircraft dive down towards them at high speed. The Light Cruiser Princess ordered her followers to perform evasive maneuvers and executing a sharp turn herself. The first wave is a flight of dive bombers from Akagi. The highly experienced fairies which piloted the aircraft easily predicted the movements of the Abyssals. Bombs rained down on the Light Cruiser Princess and her escorts.

Explosions erupt across the surface of the ocean as the bombs hit. One To-class and Ri-class receive light damage while the other To-class sustained moderate damage. But that was only the first wave. Between Kaga and Akagi, they have many aircraft, delivered as arrows alongside the repair buckets sent with the Kongou class.

* * *

"First wave is a reported to be a success," Akagi said, "we have done damage to Abyssal forces."

"Then we shall launch another wave," Kaga said calmly, readying her bow, "heck, I wonder if it is even necessary. Kirishima's group should be within range by now."

She looked at the two Chinese cruisers, who continued bobbing in the waves, "What good are those two?"

"Come on," Akagi said, "they may just come in useful. The Beiyang Fleet may have lost the First Sino-Japanese War, but that was due to politics and corruption. I expect those two girls will be helpful."

"You are too kind, Akagi," Kaga said, "for your own good."

* * *

The task force of two battleships, two cruisers and destroyer approached the location of the Abyssal fleet.

"I can see the enemy fleet," Kirishima said, "a pitifully small gathering. Hardly worth a second wave of aircraft from our carriers."

"We shall finish them off here," Haruna added, "this will be easy."

She turned to the others in the fleet, "Kirishima and I will engage the Princess. You girls take out her flunkies."

"Aye," Sendai smiled, "not a night battle, but an easy one nevertheless."

The battleships smirked as they aimed their guns at the Light Cruiser Princess. Flames erupt from the muzzles as they fire their main guns. Of the sixteen rounds fired, thirteen of them hit, exploding against the Abyssal Princess. But it emerged from the fire and smoke, apparently unharmed.

"Switch to AP," Kirishima ordered, "and we'll rip her into pieces."

"Acknowledged," Haruna said, "switching shells."

Meanwhile, Sendai, Yuubari and Fubuki concentrated their attention on the escorts. The plan is to make a high speed runs on both sides of the fleet and launching their torpedoes. The group advances, firing their guns.

"Ready your torpedoes," Yuubari ordered.

"Got it," Sendai replied.

"Ready for action," Fubuki said.

The destroyers sped towards the advancing Abyssal fleet. The Abyssal cruisers noticed the approaching shipgirls and opened fire. Waterspouts erupt around the shipgirls, a few shells hitting them. None of them did serious damage. Sendai and Fubuki veered to starboard while Yuubari to port.

"Torps free!" Yuubari shouted.

The cruisers and destroyers release their torpedoes, which speed through the water towards the Abyssals. Of the rater large volley, four hit. A To-class folds in the middle and explodes while another floundered. The Ri-class took a hit, but continued to fire at the cruisers which passed her. The Light Cruiser Princess survives a hit as well. As the range closed, Abyssal gunfire became more accurate. Yuubari, Sendai and Fubuki all take hits. Sendai is on light damage and Fubuki on moderate damage. But the Japanese ship girls are quickly moving out of range of the Abyssals.

While the Abyssals were distracted, Haruna and Kirishima locked onto the Abyssal Light Cruiser Princess.

"All guns, fire!" Kirishima shouted.

The four twin 41cm turrets on her rigging open fire with a thundering boom. Shells arc through the air, slamming into the Princess. Most of the shells bounce off her, but two pierce weak points in her armor and slice into her body before exploding.

"I'll finish her off," Haruna said, "fire!"

Her guns fire off the last volley, the 41cm shells slamming into the Abyssal. Three penetrations and internal explosions, causing massive damage.

* * *

"Ha," Kadawa said as he looked at his tablet, "I knew my girls could do it! All Abyssal ships either destroyed or on moderate damage."

"But your shipgirls?" he glanced at Sima, "What are they doing? Nothing more than sitting in the water."

"Why would they do anything?" asked Sima, "They are ships from the 1880s. What can they do besides escort your carriers?"

"But there are no threats to them here" Kadawa replied, "nothing will get through the front."

The sound of steel being crushed suddenly could be heard.

"What the?" Sima turned to look outside.

He was greeted by the sight of a massive artillery imp, walking by outside.

* * *

 **Sup guys, back with more Descendants of the Dragon after multiple updates to Red Fleet Resurrected. Trying to do longer chapters from now on. Easier said than done. Now, about the Chinese ships.**

 **海圻 is translated as Hai Chi, but the actual Chinese pronunciation is Hai Qi.**

 **应瑞 is translated as Ying Swei, but the actual Chinese pronunciation is Ying Rui**

 **逸仙** **is written as Yat Sen, which is her Cantonese pronunciation. Yi Xian is mandarin.**

 **致遠 (Zhi Yuan) and** **經遠(Jing Yuan) are translated as Chih-yuan and Ching-yuan.**


	22. Battle of Weihaiwei II

**Battle of Weihaiwei II**

"This is the final shot," Kirishima said, adjusting her glasses, "so long, Princess."

Her main guns open fire, the shells of the last volley cutting into the Light Cruiser Princess. Internal explosions burst throughout the interior of the Abyssal. The Light Cruiser Princess floundered before a final explosion sealed its doom.

"I thought you said your shot would be last," Kirishima said to her sister.

"Eh," Haruna scratched her cheek, "I don't have your brain power."

"Let's finish off the rest of them!" Sendai exclaimed as she fired on floundering Abyssal cruisers that remained.

Quick firing 140mm guns from Sendai and Yuubari raked the surviving Abyssals, making short work of them.

"I wonder who will get the MVP," Fubuki grinned as she wiped her forehead.

* * *

"Holy shit," Sima almost exclaimed, but held his voice down, "is that a giant artillery imp?"

"On this island?" asked Kadawa.

Sure enough, several passed outside the window, hissing and growling.

"Why the hell are they here?" asked Kadawa.

"Well," Sima said, "there is the Sino – Japanese War Museum on this island. Maybe the souls of the fortresses of Weihai detected the presence of Japanese shipgirls and have returned as Abyssal artillery imps. Your shipgirls, I may add, trigged their birth."

"God dammit," Kadawa said, "this island and surrounding waters were the site of the Battle of Weihaiwei. Ikaiei-no-tatakai, we called it."

"You studied this in school?" asked Sima.

"I personally didn't," Kadawa replied, "now that we have the best shipgirls on this side of the Pacific, everyone is suddenly interested in the Imperia Japanese Navy and its battles. Particularly in the Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War and early stages of World War Two, where the Imperial Japanese Navy scored decisive victories."

Sima looked around the house, "Okay, Admiral, I want you to go and find another outfit."

"Huh, why?" asked Kadawa.

"Because the last thing we want is for them to recognize your uniform as Japanese," Sima replied, "at least ditch your shirt and jacket. Sure, they may still attack, but maybe they will be less aggressive. If we get caught by Abyssals, pretend to be a mute construction worker. I'll do the talking."

"Fine," Kadawa said, "I'll go and look. Say, can we sneak off this island?"

"Yes," Sima replied, "assuming you can swim two kilometres or get to whatever boat you came on and take it back to the mainland."

"Fuck," Kadawa swore as he ascended a flight of stairs, "that means I have to call Akagi here and have them carry us off. But with these artillery imps…"

"It would be difficult," Sima finished as he glanced outside, "we are right outside Donghong Fort after all."

Kadawa came back down, wearing a random shirt he found in a wardrobe. It has decayed somewhat and is quite dusty, but it should hide his identity as a Japanese military officer.

"Okay," he said, "I gotta warn the fleet about artillery imps appearing on this island."

* * *

Kirishima was congratulating the fleet when a message came in. It was odd, because Admiral Kadawa could have verbally given her instructions.

"Crap!" she suddenly exclaimed, "The Admiral said that Abyssal artillery imps appeared on his island!"

"What?" Sendai asked, "So the Chinese were lying to us when they said land abyssal don't exist!"

"Damn it," Haruna said, "we better go back and evacuate Admiral Kadawa!"

"Wait," Kirishima said, "the carrier girls Akagi and Kaga are stationed near the island, with those Chinese shipgirls. They should be sufficient to deal with a bunch of artillery imps. They must be aware of the threat."

"Still," Yuubari added, "wouldn't it be better if we went and checked?"

While the girls talked, nobody realized that another Abyssal fleet gathered on the horizon, beyond their view range.

* * *

The Abyssal fleet that was devastated by the Japanese shipgirls was merely a vanguard fleet, which was sent ahead to test the waters. Far behind them, a second and much more deadly fleet gathered. Seven massive warships slowly cruised through the Yellow Sea, heading towards Weihai.

Three To-class light cruisers escorted the fleet, not that it was really necessary. Because a Battleship Princess, a Southern War Demon, a Seaplane Tender Princess and an Aircraft Carrier Princess really don't need escorts. Appearing as the Abyssal versions of Fusou, Hiei, Chiyoda and Akagi, the Princesses steamed leisurely westward.

The Flying Squadron reported that there was heavy resistance before they were annihilated. Two battleships, two cruisers and a destroyer stopped them, along with a few flights of aircraft. That meant an aircraft carrier is also present.

The Battleship Princess smiled sinisterly. She commanded the Aircraft Carrier Princess to launch her air wing, in preparation for a pre-emptive strike on the enemy surface fleet. Meanwhile, Seaplane Tender Princess would send her aircraft around the scene of the battle to hunt the carriers.

Almost as soon as her command was given, the two Princesses begin to launch their aircraft. Small white orbs with jagged teeth and glowing orange eyes stream from the Aircraft Carrier Princess via the two runways. The Seaplane Tender Princess isn't as fast in launching her aircraft. They had to be launched one by one from her catapult.

* * *

Just as Sendai's recon plane was going to head back to the ship, the fairy pilot suddenly saw specks in the sky. Turning around to get a better look, the seaplane was suddenly set upon by Abyssal aircraft. The fairy crew of the seaplane managed to send a panicked message to Sendai before it was torn into pieces by Abyssal gunfire.

"Message from recon plane!" Sendai shouted, "Huge numbers of Abyssal aircraft inbound!"

"Warn Kadawa," Kirishima ordered, "and call for air support. We have some serious opposition here. Haruna, let's roll out the Type 3s."

"Ooh," Haruna said, "we're making fireworks."

"Huge numbers mean lots of carriers," Kirishima continued, "girls, prepare for anti-air combat. We'll try to destroy the aircraft while Kaga and Akagi attack their carriers. Diamond formation!"

The Japanese moved into formation in one seamless move. Kirishima at the centre, Haruna at the front, Sendai on the left, Yuubari on the right and Fubuki at the back. It didn't take long for the huge numbers of aircraft to be visible on the radar.

"Has the Admiral replied yet?" asked Haruna.

"Negative," Kirishima replied, "the admiral is not responding to our messages."

"What the hell is going on?" asked Sendai.

"Enemy aircraft inbound," Haruna said, pointing at the sky.

"Fireworks!" Kirishima whooped as she opened fire with her guns, "Woooooh!"

The red shells arc into the sky, heading towards the incoming squadron. The Type 3 shell is a type of ammunition which combined shrapnel and incendiary effects to fulfill an anti-aircraft role. The 41cm variant contained 1200 incendiary tubes, which are hollow cylinders filled with a mix of phosphorus, vulcanized rubber, natural rubber, stearic acid, sulphur and barium nitrate in one nasty formula. After the detonation of a delay fuse, the shell would spew out 2527 fragments in a 20 degree cone, all of them burning at high temperatures.

The 41cm shells explode before the incoming Abyssal aircraft. More than ten thousand burning pieces of metal spewed out the front. Many of the Abyssal aircraft are ripped into pieces. Another eight shells from Haruna takes another chunk out of the enemy squadron.

"Excellent," Kirishima said, "can you cruisers hold them off while we reload?"

"Got it," Sendai replied, "no problem at all."

By now, the incoming squadron is a scattered mess as the Abyssal aircraft struggle to regroup. Thick anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese are not making it easy.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Shikotan Island, things are not getting any better. The house than Kadawa and Sima hid in are surrounded by artillery imps.

"Say," Kadawa asked as he alternated between looking at the tablet and at Sima, "what the hell are those imps doing?"

"Standing around," Sima replied, peeking out the window, "and not much else. How are your girls?"

"They are doing well," Kadawa said, "they were attacked by a huge squadron of Abyssal aircraft, but Haruna and Kirishima's Type 3 shells made short work of them. The cruisers and destroyer are mopping up the rest of them."

"Heh," Sima said, "it must be nice to have WW2 era ships."

"Don't you?" asked Kadawa.

"The best ship we have is a ship from 1899," Sima said, "the protected cruiser Hai Chi."

"Yikes," Kadawa said, "so Yat Sen isn't as good as her? She is the first Chinese Primal, yes?"

"Yeah," Sima nodded, looking outside again, "but even though she was built more than thirty years later, Hai Chi surpasses her in every measure. Heck, I don't even know why Yat Sen bothered coming back. What good is she?"

"Ouch," Kadawa laughed, "that was nasty. Even if she can't fight, she can be used to train fairies. Or work as a secretary ship."

"We have humans who can fulfil that role," Sima muttered, "and they are cheaper to feed."

An idea popped into his head, "Hey Admiral."

"Yeah?" asked Kadawa.

"I think I know a way to get off the island," Sima replied, "and it should work."

"Do tell," Kadawa said, "because when the government told us to come here until the Bastion is rebuilt, they didn't tell us we'd be facing massive Abyssal invasion fleets that inflicted losses on the first fucking sortie."

"You call the shipgirls nearest to this place to come pick you up," Sima said.

"Um," Kadawa replied, "the nearest girls here are Kaga and Akagi. First of all, they are busy preparing to launch aircraft. Second of all, this place is infested with artillery imps. Kaga and Akagi aren't that armoured, you know?"

"Yeah," Sima said, "which is why I am going out to try and draw the artillery imps away."

"Wait," Kadawa said, "what?"

But the Pilot Officer already dashed out of the house.

"Ah, man," Kadawa typed a message to Kaga and Akagi, "his plan better work."

* * *

 **Whaddup guys, sorry for delay. I got caught up in other projects. Here is another chapter of Descendants of the Dragon. Next chapter for Red Fleet Resurrected coming ASAP. I wonder why Red Fleet Resurrected is more popular, though. Maybe Soviet shipguys are more interesting than Chinese shipgirls?  
**


	23. Battle of Weihaiwei III

**Battle of Weihaiwei III**

"All enemy aircraft have been decimated," Kirishima reported, "a few of us have taken hits, but we are all fine."

"Understood," Akagi replied over the radio, "we are now sending the surviving fighters east to find the location of their carriers. Torpedo bombers are on standby."

"Dive bombers on standby," Kaga added.

Sure enough, the Japanese fighters which survived the massive fight are now headed east, determined to find out where the massive formation of aircraft came from. There must be several Nu-class or Wo-class carriers. Maybe even an Aircraft Carrier Princess. But Kirishima and Haruna are not intimidated. At level 72 and 69 respectively and both remodeled into Kai forms, the fast battleships are a force to be reckoned with. And that is not taking the cruisers and destroyer in the fleet into account, or the two aircraft carriers behind them.

* * *

Pilot Officer Sima sprinted to the front door of the house, avoiding the Abyssal Artillery Imps. The plan was to put some distance between himself and the Abyssals before catching their attention. The artillery imps didn't seem to notice that he left the house as they stood around in a loose cluster. Sima planned his next move. He should somehow catch the attention of the imps when he is a safe distance away. Eyeing the rusted remains of a car, Sima quietly runs towards it. He planned to toss a rock at the artillery imps or something to draw their attention. Those imps are strong, but they don't look like they are fast.

If they are the returned forms of the forts, then they are based on Krupp guns from the 1880s and will therefore be inaccurate. If their fairies are the returned form of the Imperial Chinese soldiers from the Battle of Weihaiwei, then they will be poorly trained and unprofessional.

But just as he was about to reach the car, his phone went off.

"Ah fuck," Sima muttered, "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

He looked back as he leapt over the bonnet. The artillery imps heard the phone and turned to face him, being surprisingly quick despite having small legs and a massive upper body. Sima briefly looked at the screen of his phone.

 _We made Ying Swei! Took us a while to find your phone number. We are making another ship!_

"Ying Swei?" Sima said, "Holy motherfucker we've built Ying Swei! We've got oil-burning boilers and steam turbines!"

The angry growl of the imps caught his attention. Peeking under the car, he held in a yelp when he saw that the imps are right on the other side of the car. Sima contemplated his choices until he came up with an idea. Navigating to the music folder, he turned the volume of speakers to maximum. Flicking through the song list, he came to one that started off barely audible but then exploded into high volume bad-assery.

He clicks on the song and tosses his phone away. As the phone sailed through the air, the imps didn't pay too much intention to it. Until eardrum busting heavy metal music blared out from its speakers as it clattered to the ground. The artillery imps growled as they turned their attention to strange object and waddled to it.

Meanwhile Sima runs out from behind the car and runs west. By the time the imps noticed him, he was a fair distance away. Looking back, Sima could see that the imps waddled after him, occasionally firing a shot. The shells they fired missed by massive margins. Since Sima is running up a steep hill, he had the advantage.

"This is probably the only time I am grateful that we had poorly trained soldiers!" Sima shouted as he continued running.

He ran down the road and into the forest of Liugong Island National Forest Park. He stopped running after he is deep in the woods. Sima is surprised that he is able to run this far. Although he is from the military, he is not a soldier. Not even a battlefield engineer, though he was recommended to be one.

The sound of trees being snapped suddenly entered his ears.

The Pilot Officer looked up, only to see two artillery imps come crashing through the forest, charging at him. Well, as fast as their small legs and oversized cannon head allowed them. But going downhill, they are pretty fast.

"What the fuck?" he started sprinting again, "There's more of them?"

Hardly surprising, because he is less than a hundred metres away from Qi Dingshan artillery platform. Kind of obvious where the two imps came from.

"I demand a pay rise, a promotion," Sima puffed as he continued running downhill, "and long service leave."

As Sima arrived at the edge of the forest, he faltered for a second before continuing. He runs past buildings and quickly goes out of sight of the imps. Sima doesn't stop, however. He continues running until he is deep inside the abandoned settlement.

"Okay," he puffed, "I hope I have got away from the Abyssals."

As he turned a corner, he crashed into an individual with a very strong body. Sima bounced back like a rag doll and fell onto the ground. His glasses fell from his face.

"Crap," he muttered, "I can't see much without them!"

Just as his hand made contact, a foot came crashing down onto the glasses, destroying them completely.

"Ulp," Sima swallowed as he looked up, "I am in deep shit."

Looking up, he sees a young woman with freakishly pale skin, dressed in an old outfit.

"Okay," he said, "she better be a travelling beggar who happened to stumble onto this island instead of an Installation-type Abyssal."

The woman must have heard her, because a foot slammed into his face, knocking him back.

"I am no beggar," she hissed venomously, "I am Weihaiwei Princess."

"Fuck," Sima groaned as he tried to stand up, "I have to get away."

Weihaiwei Princess lunged forward and grabbed the Pilot Officer by his neck.

"You are going nowhere," Weihaiwei Princess said menacingly, "except with me."

The Abyssal Princess then dragged the officer through the remains of the settlement, heading towards the Sino-Japanese War museum.

* * *

Kaga and Akagi were anxiously awaiting further orders when a message finally came from the Admiral. It was simple.

 _I am at the same place. Artillery imps have been distracted. Save me pls._

"Okay then," Kaga said to Akagi, "time to save your Admiral."

The two carriers started to change their course and move towards the eastern extreme of Liugong Island.

"What is going on?" asked Zhi Yuan as she watched the departing Japanese carriers.

"Not sure," Jing Yuan replied, "but it seems the Japanese are moving towards Liugong Island."

"Ah," Zhi Yuan said, "I remember that place. Home port of the Beiyang Fleet."

"Should we follow?" asked Jing Yuan.

"Eh," Zhi Yuan replied, "okay. Those ladies don't look like they have defensive weapons. Let's go."

Thick clouds of black smoke belched from the funnels of the shipgirls' rigging. Zhi Yuan and Lai Yuan lurched forward before accelerating to top speed. Which is 17 knots for the former and 16 knots for the latter. Although Kaga and Akagi are carriers, they are far more modern in every aspect. Cruising at 28 knots, it didn't take long for them to leave the cruisers behind. As the ships approached the island, artillery imps at Qi Dingshan noticed their approach. They hissed and growled as they watched the shipgirls, but are unable to do anything as the Japanese are out of their range.

Kaga and Akagi continued speeding forward when a message came in. The fighters discovered the source of the Abyssal fighters and it wasn't good news

"What?" Akagi said, presumably to the pilots of her fighters, "Abyssal Fusou, Hiei, Chiyoda and…me? So basically a Battleship Princess, a Southern War Demon, a Seaplane Tender Princess and an Aircraft Carrier Demon?"

"Yes," Kaga said calmly, "my fighters are reporting the same thing. It is unfortunate news, but it must be conveyed to Kirishima's fleet and Admiral Kadawa."

Akagi raised her bow, "Sending out my aircraft. I am hoping they will provide support to the frontline fighters."

"They will," Kaga raised her bow as well, "they are talented girls."

The two carriers release the bow strings, launching arrows across the sea. They burst into flames before materializing into torpedo bombers and dive bombers. The miniature aircraft head towards the incoming Abyssal Fleet.

"Now," Kaga said, "to Liugong Island."

Far behind them, Zhi Yuan and Jing Yuan steamed at top speed, but the distance between them and the carriers only grew.

* * *

"Oh, hell no," Kadawa muttered to himself, "Abyssal Fusou, Hiei, Chiyoda and Akagi? It's like the First Sino-Japanese War, expect they aren't armored frigates and protected cruisers anymore, they are fucking battleships and carriers! I'm fucked!"

He then shakes his head, "No, I will not be defeated. I just need to use what I have."

The Admiral racked his brain for a possible plan. He currently has two fast battleship which have undergone remodeling, along with two cruisers and a destroyer. The cruisers and destroyer have taken a few hits, but are still in light damage phase. He also has two carriers for support. Kadawa also has the two Chinese cruisers, but they won't be much help.

The Abyssals facing them are powerful, but the two battleships are slow moving. The Seaplane Tender Princess and Aircraft Carrier Demon are fast, but they are not equipped for surface combat. His best chance is to use the superior speed and maneuverability of his fleet to employ hit and run attacks while Kaga and Akagi's aircraft attack. He'll figure things out as he goes on. Kaga and Akagi have already deployed torpedo bombers and dive bombers.

"Very well," Kadawa said to himself, "the battle will be hard, but not impossible."

With that he began sending his orders.

* * *

"Orders from the Admiral!" Kirishima said.

"Oh good," Haruna added, "so he is alive. I hope he can do something about all those Abyssals. Four boss level ones, according to Kaga and Akagi."

 _We can fight_ , the transmission said, _and there is a good chance we can win._

"Really?" Fubuki asked hopefully.

 _Yes, but only if you girls put your trust in me. I know Fubuki, Sendai, Yuubari and Akagi do. Haruna, Kirishima, do you trust me?_

"I do," Kirishima grinned, "because it sounds like you have a nasty plan."

 _Kirishima, form a line ahead formation. Kaga, Akagi, pump out your bombers. Send your dive bombers to high altitude and torpedo bombers to low altitude._

"Like the Americans at Midway," Kaga muttered, "our fighters were distracted with fighting the torpedo bombers. They couldn't gain the altitude need to attack the dive bombers."

 _Sorry to bring back the memories_ , Kadawa transmitted, _but it was effective_.

"And so we shall replicate it," Akagi nodded.

 _Kirshima, Haruna,_ Kadawa continued, _head east at maximum speed. The cruisers and destroyer should be able to keep up with you._

"Aye," Kirishima said, "girls, come on. We have some Abyssals to kill."

 _Akagi, Kaga, keep your aircraft around Kirishima's fleet. Attack at the same time._

* * *

The Abyssal fleet continued sailing west, through the Bohai Gulf. The sorties is not going well for them. The Aircraft Carrier Princess has lost all aircraft sent on the attack and is in the process of arming and fueling the next wave. Seaplane Tender Princesses aircraft have yet to find the enemy carriers.

Things only went worse.

The human shipgirl fleet that decimated their aircraft can now be seen, heading towards them at full speed. Above them, multiple formations of aircraft.

Battleship Princess signaled her fleet, which transitioned from a line ahead formation to a diamond formation, with the Aircraft Carrier Princess at the centre. She started to launch her fighters, which were on standby.

* * *

"Abyssal Fleet sighted," Kirishima said, "holy shit, there really are four Princess-level Abyssals."

"Did you think I was lying?" Akagi asked over the radio, "And just to tell you, they formed a diamond formation, with the carrier in the middle."

 _So they are giving flagship protection to Aircraft Carrier Princess and have increased AA efficiency. Hit the carrier before she can launch more aircraft._

"Ready!" Kaga said.

 _Torpedo bombers_ , Kadawa ordered, _attack!_

Type 97 torpedo bombers skim low over the sea, rapidly approaching the Abyssal Fleet. The Abyssals notice the approaching aircraft and immediately turn their attention to them. Abyssal fighter aircraft dive out of the sky, attacking the bombers. The torpedo bombers press on with the attack, despite losing more of their numbers. Eventually, they release their torpedoes and turn away. The Abyssal fighters continued hunting them. The torpedoes streak through the water, plowing through the fleet. A To-class cruiser is obliterated from a magazine detonation, while another one suffers moderate damage. The Aircraft Carrier Princess suffers a hit as well, but her energy barrier absorbed the hit.

While the fighters were busy chasing off the torpedo bombers, the dive bombers entered the scene. Even if the Abyssal fighters noticed, it was too late, as they won't be able to gain the necessary altitude.

 _Now, dive bombers, concentrate on the Aircraft Carrier Princess!_

The Type 99 dive bombers descend from above at high speed. Only Seaplane Tender Princess, with her dual purpose 5 inch guns, managed to fire back. Several bombers are knocked out of the sky, but many make it through. Concentrating their attention on the carrier, the dive bombers unleash a volley of bombs which rain down on the Princess. Explosions splash across her energy barriers, which glowed as they absorbed the energy. Eventually, her barrier collapsed under the attack, disintegrating as the energy overloaded the system. Several bombs land direct hits on her, damaging her flight decks.

 _Kirishima! Haruna!_

"You don't have to tell us," Kirishima said, "FIRE!"

Her 41cm guns open fire, this time with AP shells. But instead of hitting the Aircraft Carrier Princess, Battleship Princess took the hit, her energy barrier neutralizing the attacks.

"Shit," Kirishima swore, "this is going to be a tough battle."

"You don't say," Haruna interrupted, "but Haruna will still fight!"

Her 41cm guns spew out smoke, flame and AP shells. But once again, Battleship Princess absorbs the attack. Meanwhile, Battleship Princess and Southern War Demon aim their guns at the shipgirls.

"Heads up!" Kirishima shouted.

No sooner did she finish, 16 inch guns from the Abyssals opened fire. The shells speed through the shipgirl squadron, with Kirishima taking the brunt of the attack.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, "Argh, you Abyssal bitches!"

"Sister!" Haruna said.

"I'm fine," Kirishima comforted her sister before turning her attention back to the Abyssals. The distance between the two closed to a kilometre, "distance, velocity, check! Fire!"

Her guns thundered again, quickly followed by Haruna's. But Battleship Princess takes the hit again.

"Admiral," Sendai asked, "shall Yuubari, Fubuki and I perform a torpedo run?"

 _Negative. The Abyssal battleships will tear you girls into pieces. Even if you survive that, the To-class Abyssals will finish you off._

Southern War Princess leaned back, aiming the metal best she rode on a few degrees up. The monster which made up part of her rigging opened its jaws, releasing a stream of Abyssal Fighter .

"No!" Haruna said, "Southern War Demon is releasing fighters! The Abyssals will have air superiority!"

* * *

"Damn it!" Admiral Kadawa cursed, "Shit never get easy does it? I forgot Southern War Demon is an aviation battleship!"

Looking down at his tablet, Kadawa analyzed his situation.

 ** _Fleet One_**

 _Kirishima_

 _Haruna_

 _Sendai_

 _Yuubari_

 _Fubuki_

 ** _Fleet Two_**

 _Kaga_

 _Akagi_

 ** _Abyssal Fleet_**

 _Battleship Princess_

 _Southern War Demon_

 _Aircraft Carrier Princess_

 _Seaplane Tender Princess_

 _Light Cruiser To-class_

 _Light Cruiser To-class_

 _Light Cruiser To-class_

The distance between Fleet One and the Abyssal fleet shrunk to five hundred metres. Fleet Two is heading in his direction, presumably to pick him up. Kadawa contemplated his choices. In a head to head fight, his fleet is simply outmatched. He has sunk one cruiser and damaged several other Abyssals, but the survivors are still strong. Akagi and Kaga both sent a second wave, using the same type of aircraft.

"Kaga, Akagi," Kadawa said, "keep attacking! Take out the Southern War Demon and Seaplane Tender Princess!"

Once again, torpedo bombers approached from low altitude and dive bombers from high. Except this time, the Abyssals were expecting it, thus dividing their fighter wing into two. However, Southern War Demon and Seaplane Tender Princess can't launch her aircraft as quickly as Aircraft Carrier Princess. Dividing their fighter defense thinned it out too much to make a difference and Seaplane Tender Princess's dual purpose guns can only attack so many targets at once. Many of the shipgirls' aircraft get through, landing hits on the Abyssal. Seaplane Tender Princess finally loses her barrier and takes multiple hits, damaging her catapult.

"Kirishima, Haruna," Kadawa ordered, "attack Southern War Demon. Don't let any aircraft get launched by her."

* * *

"Acknowledged," Kirishima nodded, "attacking Southern War Demon!"

The two battleships unleash another volley of 41cm armor piercing shells. They arc through the air and smash into Southern War Demon, collapsing her barrier and hitting her rigging. The massive jaw on the rigging closed and the red light faded.

"We've hit her," Haruna said, "and it seems she won't be launching any new aircraft."

 _Good_ , Kadawa said, _now retreat._

"Huh?" Sendai asked, "Why?"

 _We have crippled their aircraft launching capabilities,_ Kadawa replied, _but they are still powerful surface combatants. We have to regroup and come up with a plan to deal with them properly. Now retreat as quickly as you can._

"Understood," Kirishima nodded, "we're turning back."


End file.
